The Guardian of Destinies
by amatsu-hime
Summary: When the darkness that destroyed her home threatens the world yet again, Destiny's apprentice must seek out the jewel that has been hidden for centuries. Now, Usagi must set out on a perilous journey to save those she has come to love. Usa/Sess K/I S/M.
1. Chapter 1

The Guardian of Destinies

The morning was magnificent. It was the first truly beautiful day of spring. Everything was alive and blooming, the birds were singing. One bird, perched upon the top of a small cherry tree, took flight to express its joy in the beautiful light of the early morning sunrise. The sky shone in hues of orange and yellow with a single beam of rose red running through the clouds. It was brightly lit by the low hanging sun that had just lazily risen half-way above the hills in the distance. All was calm and content, until…

"SIT!" yelled a voice from below the trees. The bird that had just landed above the group of people below immediately took flight again, recognizing the argumentative pair below him. "Inuyasha! I can't believe you just did that! I swear," the last part was mumbled under her breath as she shook her head.

"What did I do?" the figure that was currently glued to the ground grouched.

"Oh! I don't know," she said with a sarcastic twist to her mouth, "just got me up before sunrise to start moving to some unknown location, dumped my backpack out looking for the chips that you ATE last night, knocked over my bike, and BROKE IT!"

The spell that held the hanyou on the ground was starting to dissipate, but before he was able to regain his footing another "Sit!" rang through the air.

"Kagome!" he growled at her to stop.

"Don't even start!" Kagome said furiously. Honestly, at times, he was so frustrating. Not for the first time did she wonder why her heart had turned to him, but alas, it had. Looking at him now, you would never believe that he would willingly die for her, as he had done in that last battle with Naraku. Sighing, Kagome calmed down, and using her new found power of control, released him from the subduing spell that he had been under.

Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara were currently standing about three yards away. This was far enough away to avoid being collateral damage, but close enough for them to enjoy the show. Knowing better than to laugh, they all just grinned.

Finally, Sango was the one that was brave enough to intervene. "Maybe," she started almost blanching at the look Kagome gave her, but still, she continued, "we should go now." The last part was more firm, with a note of authority gained from her experience as the daughter of the head of the village.

Kagome sighed, "I know," she said, "we should go. We're almost done collecting the jewel shards, and it shouldn't be nearly so hard now that Naraku is gone."

The group finally started walking again, Kagome making Inuyasha carry her now broken bike. She didn't know how she was supposed to get it fixed, 'I guess,' she thought sullenly, 'I'll have to take it back to my time to get it fixed.' This was not an encouraging thought as she realized that it would not be easy getting it out of the other side of the well.

Suddenly, Inuyasha, who was in front, stopped, which made everyone else stop as he was blocking the narrow path that led through the dense foliage which currently surrounded them. A single figured, garbed in a long grey robe, paced silently towards them from the distance. The first thing that Inuyasha noticed was that this person had no scent to them, at least, none that he could detect. As they came nearer, he let out a small warning growl.

Kagome huffed and said, "Don't be so rude, Inuyasha!" The stranger came right up to him, standing about three feet away, they looked up. Now that Inuyasha was able to make out their face, he could tell easily that this person was a woman, although he did not know who she was. She smiled at him.

Slipping her hood off of her head and letting her long golden locks fall nearly to the ground, she said, "Hail, Inuyasha, second born of the house of the moon. Hail to Kagome, the priestess of time. Hail to Shippou, the last heir of the great kitsune warriors of old. Hail, Miroku priest of the kazaana. And hail, Sango, last of the house of the Sun, may you all be blessed with long life and joy."

With those words, she walked past the stunned group one by one. As she passed each of them, she gave them a smile, but when she came to Sango, who was at the rear, she stopped. Still looking forward she said, "Your brother lives, so do not despair. Do not search for him and he will come to you. Be happy princess, for your life is one fate has bestowed her favor upon."

Sango, looking at the stranger with an understanding said, "Fate is cruel to me, she has no favor for the house of the sun."

The stranger turned to her and smiled a sweet and innocent smile, "Fate has forgiven the sun for his wrong against her, now she smiles at you, for you overcame, and you still live."

Sango stared in disbelief at the stranger, but she left, and soon was no where to be seen. Inuyasha was not pleased at all with this strange turn of events. "Who was that?" he half growled.

Sango, in a small voice said, "You just met the Destiny's apprentice." The rest of the group stared in shocked silence before Sango pushed at Miroku's back to get them to move again. The next few hours was spent in contemplative silence. Each silent walker's thoughts were focused on the odd, and yet accurate, greeting the stranger had given. That is, each walker except the one bringing up the rear.

……….

"Jaken-sama! Jaken-sama! Loves the pretty flowers. Jaken-sama! Jaken-sama! Loves to dance for hours," sang a small voice of a child who was currently dancing around a field of flowers with a sputtering, small green toad demon following her. A two headed dragon was currently sitting lazily in the shade of a large oak tree watching as the little girl and toad were running around the field. Apparently, the toad did not like the song that was being sung about him.

Beneath the shade of a tree on the opposite side of the clearing a breath-taking demon appeared to be sleeping. His long hair glinted like silver under the sunlight that was able to fall between the cracks of the leaves on the overhanging branches. However, his activity was not sleep, but complete watchfulness.

This was a restful time for the small group of demons, and one human, for there was nothing to be done. Currently, their destination was the west, the home of the high level demon that was not asleep under the tree, but he was taking his time on this journey, allowing the little girl to recover from her injury that she had received but only a week before. In order to draw Sesshoumaru into the battle, Naraku had taken the little girl. Due to this, she had been stuck in the middle what turned out to be a very ugly battle between good and evil.

She had, thankfully, been saved from death by the quick and efficient actions of his brother's wench, although he would never admit it to either of them. Rin had escaped with only a gash on her right side, but currently appeared as if she was completely fine to the untrained eye. However, Sesshoumaru was anything but untrained. He saw how she would every now and then run her hand over her right side, or she would stop a few minutes to catch her breath before returning to torment his retainer.

"Rin," he called to the little girl who had been stopping more and more as the day was starting to wane.

She jogged up to him and smiled saying, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Rin," his deep voice said again, "It is time for you to bathe. Ah Un will go with you."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said as she bounded over to the dragon so that he could take her to bathe.

The little girl was growing, and would soon need to be found a proper home. The idea, however, was not too appealing, as that meant having to really make her leave. The last time that he had tried to do that, she had cried and begged and asked if she had been a bad girl. He really didn't know how to deal with a girl's tears.

By the time that Rin had returned, he had gotten a fire going, and dinner for her was almost done. She had to have special food that was fit for humans, he usually ate either before she did, or after she went to bed. Tonight, he had eaten while she had bathed.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru said, "Come here."

"Hai!" she said as she came to him in the same kimono that she had left in.

"We must change your bandage," Sesshoumaru stated as she came up to him. She quickly obeyed, and, while not able to stop the wince of pain, she was able to keep still for him to make sure the bandage would hold through the next day's journey.

After finishing her dinner, Sesshoumaru sent Rin to sleep, and she complied, for the day's activities had been rough on her young body. The sun had set before the food had even finished cooking, and Sesshoumaru could hear the snores of his retainer who was asleep on the opposite side of Ah Un from Rin. All of them were fast asleep, but Sesshoumaru knew that sleep would not be coming to him soon.

Setting up a barrier to protect his three sleeping companions, Sesshoumaru strolled into the forest. It was not uncommon for him to wonder at night just not far from his camp site should there be a problem.

Tonight was no different from the rest at first. He stood up after they were all asleep, and walked, or stalked, silently into the shrubbery for some solitude and meditation. Heading in the general direction of the stream that Rin had bathed in earlier, he kept his senses open for any threat to his entourage.

Funny, his 'entourage' had seemed to grow recently. Before, it had only been his retainer, or servant, who had accompanied him, but soon Ah Un was needed, for haste became an issue. Then, he met Rin, the little girl that would smile through a bloody lip, and help a defeated dai-youkai who was too injured to properly care for himself, even if he threatened her with death.

In the solitude of the night, he allowed himself a small smile thinking of the little girl who had given everything, even her life, for him. "…a compassionate heart…" his mother had told him. She had told him that to strengthen his sword, the last remaining gift of his father, he needed a compassionate heart. She had shone him just how much he cared for the little girl sleeping back at his camp, even if that had not been her intent.

Kohaku had traveled with them for a long while, and would likely be back. He remembered that Kohaku had practically been dead when he came to their group, running from Naraku who was trying to destroy him. Sesshoumaru had used his sword, and taken the Shikon Shard out of his back. Kohaku had disappeared after the battle, probably to make peace with his past, which had been hard for the human emotions of the boy to bare. The memories had been forced back upon his mind when Naraku was trying to distract Inuyasha by causing pain to the boy.

It had worked only for a moment for Inuyasha knew that the only way to stop the pain was to completely destroy the half-dead hanyou before them. And he did, although, it was not an easy task. Their group, Sesshoumaru supposed, was searching for the rest of the jewel shards. Koga, the leader of the tribe of wolfs in the North, had given his two up once Naraku was completely destroyed.

Distracted by his musings, he missed the presence that was currently sitting at his destination until he was close enough to see them. He almost let out a snarl of surprise and anger at being interrupted, but he stopped. He could tell that this person meant no immediate harm on him, or those in his care.

"Who are you?" He questioned harshly of the stranger.

They jumped in surprise, apparently not realizing that he was behind them. Standing up quickly, they pulled the cloak tighter around themselves and turned. "I am sorry for intruding. I will leave immediately, Sesshoumaru-sama." From the voice and the small stature of the figure in front of him, he immediately came to the conclusion that the person was female, but he couldn't smell her.

She hurried to get past him and leave, but at the last moment, he put out his good arm and said again, "Who are you, and why do you address me as such?"

At this current distance, or lack there of, he could tell that the small person was definitely female, but he could not determine of what race she came. "I am sorry," she said again, "if you will release me, I will be gone."

Now he was starting to get annoyed, "Not until you tell me who you are."

She sighed, apparently ready to give in to his demands. "I will," she said, "but not yet." And with those words, she was gone. Sesshoumaru held nothing in his hand but air.

Usagi, who was currently hiding in the shrubbery downwind from the powerful youkai that had caught her, breathed a sigh of relief. She had barely escaped that one.

She watched him walk back towards his camp, and after the sound of his footsteps died away, she was able the breath freely again. She hadn't been able to risk using her powers again for fear that he would sense her, the only reason he hadn't noticed the flair in her little corner when she reappeared was because of the shock.

But just to be on the safe side, she snuck along the shrubs instead of re-entering the clearing to leave the area. It was always better to watch your back and be wrong, then to not watch and be caught, at least, she thought that was how it went. Minako was not a very reliable source when it came to popular sayings.

Thinking of Minako made her heart ache, and so, she chose to change the subject. The dai-youkai that she had just seen was definitely cute. If she had still been the same girl that had ogled the guys at the crown after school every day, she would have been struck dumb by his very appearance, but she wasn't her anymore.

Sighing with sadness, she left the beautiful stream behind her, and looked for a way to rectify the situation. She wasn't supposed to meet the first born of the house of the moon, was she? She didn't know. For being the Guardian of Destinies, she sure didn't know anything about her own.

For the rest of her life, she would never be able to properly explain what happened in the following few minutes. One minute she had been having a perfect little pity party about her lack of friends, life, guys, and knowledge of her own destiny, and the next she was flying through the air, held only by an arm wrapped around her waist. She was going so fast that her feet flew behind her, and her hood whipped off of her head allowing her long silvery blond locks to fly free. 'Boy,' her shocked mind thought, 'that's going to be one hell of a rat's nest to undo later.'

Then her mind couldn't process any other information, because she was falling from the sky. The arm was still there, but they were going very fast towards the ground, and it did not look like a pleasant place to fall on one's butt. Squeezing her eyes shut in fear, Usagi didn't open them again until her feet were placed firmly on the ground.

"What are you?" came the deep rumble of the voice she really didn't want to hear.

"What is it with you and monosyllables, that seems to be the only way you can speak!" she grumbled more to herself than to him.

"What are you," he said again with more irritation showing in his voice.

"Let me go first," she said.

"No."

"Let me go!" This time she stomped her foot for good measure.

"No."

"Fine," she said as she crossed her arms over his which was still around her waist. "If you don't want to know, we can stand here all night."

The silence stretched between them, and Usagi knew she was going to loose this battle, he was going to push it until her every nerve was just ready to jump with the wound up anxiety of the situation. Sighing in defeat, she finally said, "I really wasn't ever supposed to meet you, as far as I know anyway, so I will tell you who I am."

Loosening his arm, he released her; he could tell from her smell that she was not lying or planning deceit. Once she was free, she turned to face him and said, "I am…human you might say, and yet I'm not. I am youkai, and yet, I am not. I come from all the people of this earth, and yet I am none of them. I am the guardian of life, the keeper of the gates of hell, and the destiny of the blessed. But more specifically, I am just Usagi Tsukino, the last of a house long gone. I greet you, first born of the house of the moon, as I greeted your brother this morning." Finishing these words, she bowed lightly to him, more as an equal than someone who was lower than him. For some reason, this seemed appropriate to him.

"What house is it that you say is 'long gone'?" he asked her.

With a sad smile she said, "I am the last of the House of the Stars. I was the daughter that escaped. I was not meant for survival but death. Because I lived, I was to be punished. But destiny took pity on me and made me her apprentice. I now hold the title 'guardian of destinies'."

This was confusing, how could she be punished for surviving. He almost asked her this, but thought better of it before the words escaped his mouth. Instead, he said, "What are you doing here?"

She smiled more brightly at him, "Just checking up on one of my favorite charges."

Since the only ones she could be checking up on were him or his companions, he felt his next question was justified, "Who?"

"The little girl with you," she said happily. "She has a bright future, even though it has been and will be filled with trials, she will be happy in the end." For some reason, this assurance seemed to comfort Sesshoumaru, but he did not let her know that.

Sesshoumaru was doubtful of the truth of her words, and, knowing that the only way to determine if someone is lying is to catch them in it, he questioned her more. "Where are you from?"

Her face took on that sad quality again, "Nowhere and everywhere. I live nowhere; I sleep and eat in uncertain places and uncertain times. I travel the unknown roads that lead to destinies ends."

Sesshoumaru did not like to see her face look so sad. It reminded him of Rin when she was sad, and it gave him an unpleasant feeling in his gut that he could not place. It was this feeling that led him to say the following words, although if he had been thinking clearly, he wouldn't have said them at all; "If you are uncertain as to where you should be, then you could be with Rin."

She smiled brightly at him, "That is the best news I've had in over a century, however, are you sure you want me to come along?"

He noticed that she seemed uncertain in her last statement, "If you do not wish to, do not come. If you want to, then come." He shrugged, "It matters not to me."

She smiled, and walked back to his camp. She knew that in a few days, she would have to go, but a little company for a while wouldn't hurt, right?"

That is the end of this chapter; I hope that everyone enjoyed it.


	2. Chapter 2

Just so everyone knows, this chapter is only coming up so quickly because I had it already typed up when I posted the first. Currently, chapter three is about half way written, so it will take more time to come up.

The Guardian of Destinies

A small figure struggled up the steep path of the hillside. The moon shone brightly, but the night was still dark. No noise penetrated the air except the soft sobs of what appeared to be a boy around the age of fourteen. He had short hair pulled up in a high knot on the top of his head. His clothes were tattered and torn, and he looked to be half-starved. Through the tears of desperation leaking from his eyes, however, the light of determination shone forth.

He was almost to his destination, the end of this road for him. At the end, he would find a high standing wall made of beams as thick and tall as the larges trees. He knew that no one there was alive, but he was going there not for life, but death.

An hour of time passes, and the boy finds the entrance to what he would see as his death. He couldn't live with the fact that he had killed his father, his sister, and all those people he loved. It was time to end the life of a killer, and he knew it.

Walking into the village, the first thing that he saw was that there were graves where none used to be. Buried in those graves, he supposed, were the people that he had grown up with, and whose deaths he had caused. He would pay for those deaths the best that he knew how. Sighing, and continuing towards the weapons shed, he refused to look around the deserted and dead village that had once been his home.

Entering the shed, he found, to his surprise, that it had been well looked after in the last few years. Apparently, Sango had made a few visits, and judging from the lack of certain items that had previously been there, she had repaired her own weapon during some of those visits. Walking passed the favored weapons of many of the villagers, and even his own father, he looked for one of scythes that had been his favored weapon.

Finding a scythe turned out to be a little easier than he thought that it would have been. There was one on the end of the work table. 'Left here for when I should return,' he remembered that his father said that would be his back up weapon should anything happen to his. Walking out of the shed with the scythe, he headed towards the house at the center of the village, where he used to live.

The son of the head of the village, that's what he was. He was supposed to be the leader of the village after his father died, that is, until Sango married. She had sworn that she wouldn't marry a man unless he could defeat her, and none in the village were able to. Kohaku smiled at the memory of his father, one morning after watching her defeat another suitor, saying, "I do believe that she is enjoying doing this. If I didn't know better, I would say that this was just a way for her to beat up all those boys who had made fun of her when she was younger."

Kohaku had only smiled and nodded towards his father, for he had known that Sango was enjoying it as proven by her later statement to him, "I hope I have some more suitors soon. It really is a nice way to relieve pent up stress."

"I think father's catching on to you scheme, Onee-chan!" Kohaku had laughed at her while holding her Hiraikotsu as she took her armor off. Smiling sadly at the memory of both his sister and father, Kohaku continued his path towards his previous home.

Once he reached the house, he sat on the porch and remembered more. He remembered the first time that he had been given the weapon, 'use this to defend the innocent and the weak against evil,' was the command of his father and the oath of the village. He remembered the last day that he had been here, disclosing his fear to his sister who had told him that everything would be all right, and not to worry, she would protect him.

A silent tear found its way down his cheek, and he didn't bother to wipe it off. This would be the end of it all, he decided. He wasn't going to hurt any more people. Climbing up on his knees, he clambered into position. Raising his scythe, Kohaku prepared to plunge it into his heart when something stopped him.

A voice on the wind said, "Please, don't do that."

Shocked by the voice, and intrigued by the sadness it held, he stopped, and said, "Who are you?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows of the house to his right. They had on a long cloak that hid most of their features, but he could tell it was a woman, probably young. "Please, there is still so much to live for, don't end it now."

"I can't continue," he said, "there all gone."

"There is still one person who wants you to live, and now two," she spoke gently while walking slowly towards him.

"Who would want a murderer to live," his young voice contained too much cynicism for his small amount of years.

"You are not a murderer," she said.

"Yes I am," Kohaku said defeated. "I have killed everyone I loved, everyone who loved me."

"Everyone?" questioned the girl that now sat beside him on the porch of what once was his home.

"Well, no," he admitted, "my sister still lives."

"And does your sister believe that you killed everyone who loved you?" she asked

"No," he shook his head. "She blamed someone else for it. The person who used me to kill them so that they wouldn't see it coming is who she said was at fault."

"If someone used you," she started tentatively; "you are not at fault. Did you willingly and knowledgably kill these people." His only reply was a sharp shake of the head. "Then you cannot take responsibility for their deaths. The person who set up their deaths is who was responsible."

"But if I had not been there…" he started.

She interrupted sharply and said, "…Then he would have used someone else. Possibly even your sister."

He stared at her with shock. He had really never thought of this before. Bowing his head in defeat, he said nothing. Usagi smiled under her hood, she knew now that he would not yet take his own life, "You know, Kohaku, your sister is probably worried about you. If you head to Edo, you will find her."

Kohaku nodded in understanding before realizing something. Lifting his head sharply, he said, "How do you…" she was gone "…know…my name?" he whispered the last part to himself.

The wind brought him an answer, "…next time we meet…"

Usagi was exhausted. 'Geez,' she thought to herself, 'making people make the right decisions for a happy ending sure is difficult.' Groaning as she thought of her next bit of destiny doing, she slipped back into her sleeping position with Sesshoumaru's group. She wandered if he had known she left, but decided that he couldn't have realized that she was gone. Falling asleep quickly was not hard for Usagi, but the way she woke the next morning made her regret even more the fact that she had to stay up late the previous night.

"Up," said an imperious voice somewhere above her.

Usagi groaned a rolled over, "Five more minutes." Her sleep deprived brain wasn't working correctly or she wouldn't have said that to Sesshoumaru.

"Get up," this time he added in a poke with the toes of his right shoe to add to his command. The others were already up and ready to go.

Groaning, Usagi sat up and said, "You could have let me sleep just a little longer."

"We're leaving," was her only reply. With one more groan to make her point, Usagi stood up and wrapped her cloak tightly around her. The air was still a bit chilly in the mornings, for summer was not yet there.

"Fine," she said, and with her head held high, she walked off in front of him.

Jaken chose this moment to come up to Sesshoumaru and say, "Who did you say she was, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Usagi turned her head slightly and said, "I am Usagi."

Rin ran up to her and said, "Hi, Usagi-san, I am Rin!"

Sesshoumaru could make out a smile on Usagi's face as she spoke to the child. He heard her talk to the little girl as if she knew everything about her. She was friendly, and they chattered with each other all through the day. Sesshoumaru listened carefully lest he should miss something important.

The day was mostly uneventful for the small group as they traveled through the forests heading due west. Usagi couldn't keep herself from yawning most of the day, though she hoped that she was being discreet about it enough that Sesshoumaru didn't notice. She wasn't sure if he did or not.

In the early afternoon, Sesshoumaru called a halt to their march and said that they would make camp for the rest of the day. This received various different reactions. Rin ran off into the nearby clearing to play, Ah Un following, and Jaken immediately giving chase for she had taken his two headed staff with her. Sesshoumaru walked towards a particularly shady tree to sit down. Usagi looked startled, for as long as she had watched him with Rin, she hadn't seen him go slow or make camp early.

Slowly walking towards him, she sat down, and was quiet. It was a nice day, and she was content to just sit there and do nothing. She really didn't feel up to talking, and didn't expect that her companion would say anything to her. Thinking of her companion brought to mind one of those little funny things about destiny. Destiny, apparently, took a special interest in this demons destiny, for she had assigned to Usagi Rin, Ah Un, and Jaken, but not Sesshoumaru. She had said, 'I think that Sesshoumaru's destiny is best left up to me, but don't worry about it.' Usagi knew that Destiny was just odd like that.

So lost in her own meditations, Usagi nearly jumped when Sesshoumaru spoke to her, "Where did you go last night?"

In her perfect state of composure, and her articulation skills, Usagi's response made absolute sense, "Huh..?"

Sesshoumaru almost sighed in annoyance at her lack of attention, almost. "Where did you go last night?"

Understanding, she replied, "I had to go check on one of my other charges, per se. He needed a bit of help to follow the correct path for all involved to be happy."

Deciding not to pursue that subject any longer, Sesshoumaru relaxed a little more and, closing his eyes, said, "Go to sleep."

Usagi stared at his face in shock. Had he realized that she was tired from staying up all night and then traveling all morning? She didn't know what to think except, as Minako would say, 'Don't look under the sole of the gift shoe.' Scratching her head, she wondered if that was really how the saying went. Shrugging it off, she relaxed in the soft grass and slept.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha's group was having some problems. No one could figure out why, but the appearance of the stranger seemed to affect Sango tremendously. She had become silent, distant towards everyone, and lost in her musings. Whatever that woman had said to Sango was deeply affecting the taijiya.

Once they had stopped for the day, she had wondered off with the excuse that she wanted to walk alone. She didn't even take Kirara, although they were able to talk her into taking her Hiraikotsu just in case of an emergency.

Wondering around the sleeping forest allowed Sango to think of what her mother had told her before she had died. That the first daughter just happened to be her didn't seem to matter to anyone but her. Her father had seemed convinced that she was the one who would reunite the two houses, but she didn't want to marry Inuyasha. That is who the promise had spoken of, but she wasn't the one he was in love with, and she didn't love him. He and Kagome were meant for each other, and she didn't think that it would be right for destiny to separate them.

Finding a nice spot in an open glade before a stream, she sat down and drew her knees up to her chin. She sat there for many hours musing over what had been told to her by her father. He had told her that a young girl in a gray cloak had appeared to him one day on his way home from a journey and told him that he would live until the promise had started to come true. This had convinced him that his daughter would marry the second born of the house of the moon.

She knew that she didn't want to marry Inuyasha. She hadn't wanted to then before she knew him, and she didn't want to know, after she knew him. She was fine being friends with him, but she didn't want to be anything more. Besides, Kagome was in love with him, and he was in love with Kagome. Now, she knew for sure that her mind had thought that before, and her brain was going in circles over the subject. She sighed and continued trying to figure out what she was doing in front of a stream instead of a fire.

A noise from behind her startled her. Caught off guard, she immediately went on the defensive and turned to attack, stopping barely in time, because the one there was only Miroku. Grinning sheepishly at her, he held both his hands in front of him. Absently, she noted that he no longer held the rosary on his hand. Mumbling an apology, she turned and sat back down bringing her knees back up to her chest.

Miroku was shocked, the only other time he had seen her like this was when they had helped her bury all the dead in her village. She had been really depressed then also. He decided the polite approach was the best, "May I sit here?"

She shrugged, "Sure, no one else is."

Sitting in silence, the two stared up at the stars. A few moments passed, and Miroku broke the silence by starting on a light subject, "Kagome and Inuyasha seem to be getting along better. I wonder if he has spoken his heart to her yet."

Sango let out a small smile before her earlier thoughts intruded again. With a sigh, she said, "I think that Kagome managed to get him in a position where he had no choice."

With a knowing smile, he replied, "Ah! You mean the last time he followed her home." Sango couldn't help but smile at the recollection of events that Kagome had related to her the previous week in one of the baths that the two women had shared.

'After nearly entering hell, I was finally able to get him to talk to me,' Kagome had said with an exasperated sigh. Knowing Inuyasha, Sango assumed that he had waited for her to go to her own world before he spoke to her about what had happened in the final battle a few weeks before hand.

These musings brought on other ones. She remembered how Kikyou had tried to make Inuyasha want to travel to hell with her, but he had said that he wanted to stay alive. He said that he was sorry for what had happened, but that he had come to realize that dieing would only be a way to escape. He also made it clear that he had learned this due to Kagome. When Kikyou had realized that he wasn't going to come with her, then she made a rash, and foolish choice as the gates of hell opened for her. She had tried to drag the unconscious form of Kagome through the gates.

The jarring motion had woken her friend from the exhausted sleep that had previously had control over the miko's body. She had woken up as the soul stealers had tried to drag her away. It was a near miss, but Inuyasha had managed to keep her from being dragged through the gates of hell, and Kikyou was taken. Kagome had gone home after that, and a day later, Inuyasha had followed her.

The silence was beginning to stretch, and Miroku decided to try another subject. "I guess the time is coming for us to separate. Kagome said that there should only be one or two more shards to the jewel before it is completed. I wonder what will become of those two when it is time for her to return to her time."

Sango's eyes turned to Miroku for just a moment, the first she had looked at him since he had joined her, and then returned to the stars, "Only time will tell, but I wish them the best."

Miroku couldn't help but hear a bit of resigned resentment in her tone. It was as if he had confirmed some horribly news. Being tired of dancing around the subject, but not wanting to scare her, he finally decided to broach what was really on his mind, "I wonder what that woman earlier had wanted."

Sango let out a little grin, but their appeared to be no joy in her countenance. "I believe that she came to fulfill a promise made to my family long ago."

"What could it mean, though, that she knew who we all were," Miroku wandered aloud.

"That's easy," she said. "The woman is the keeper of destinies. You've seen her before, Miroku, you just don't remember."

Miroku frowned in though, "I would believe that had I seen her before, she would have stuck out. She was colored like a foreigner, and her features stuck out."

Sango looked at him and really smiled, "Miroku, the last time that you saw her, none of her features were discernable."

"When did I see her, Sango," he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"She was the figure in the cloak that took Kikyou down to hell," Sango said, her eyes returning to the heavens.

Miroku couldn't help but let out a shiver as he remembered the mysterious person who had walked right out of the portal to hell. They had been somewhat short, but that hadn't stopped them. Wearing a black cloak that covered everything, with a hood so large that nothing could be made out in facial features, the figure was a complete mystery to the group of travelers. Kikyou had yelled and said, 'This isn't right! Inuyasha is supposed to come with me.'

The figure had said nothing, but raised the scythe with a gloved hand and sliced through Kikyou. It wasn't a bloody mess as one might think, but the doll that had been Kikyou seemed to dissipate with the lack of the soul. All that fell were the few ingredients that had been used to make the doll. Turning away from the group, the person re-entered the portal to hell, and it closed behind the retreating back.

"How do you know this?" Miroku couldn't help but ask.

A wry smile escaped her lips, "The woman is responsible for many lives and their deaths. Nothing happens that she doesn't know about, and most things happen from her instigation. Especially around me," the last part had been mumbled to herself, although Miroku caught what had been said.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"It doesn't matter, my destiny seems to already be planned out," Sango said, for the first time true bitterness making its appearance in her voice. Her eyes left the heavens and turned an angry glare towards the earth.

"Surely she wouldn't force you to a destiny that you don't want," Miroku said, trying to make her believe

"Wouldn't she?" Sango bitterly replied. "Could you just go back to camp, Miroku, I want to be alone."

Many miles away, the moon looked down upon an odd group sleeping in a small clearing on the outskirts of the eastern border of the Western Lands. In the midst of the mixmatched group, a woman sat up and looked to the moon. The woman's long locks appeared to be silver in the moonlight, and it appeared that she was listening to something in the distance.

Suddenly, her face took on a shocked look, and she shook her head while whispering, "She doesn't understand. I guess I should have made it a little clearer."

Standing up, the woman walked to the tree line and looked back at the rest of the group. A two headed dragon was curled up around a little human girl, and a toad demon seemed to be drooling in a patch of grass next to the dragon. Under a tree on the opposite end of the glade slept probably the most powerful demon to currently walk the face of the earth. She smiled at that thought, not long ago, she would have been the most powerful creature. However, her powers were limited to her duty, now, and she could do very little outside of transportation.

Letting a sigh of disappointment escape, she walked into the trees and whispered something under her breath. In a flurry of feathers and sparkles, she was gone. Unknown to her, however, a set of amber eyes watched her departure with something that could possibly be construed as shock when she disappeared, but that could have been a trick of the light.

until next time...

This is the end of the second chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I finished this chapter. I hope that everyone likes it. I just have to say that I own nothing but the story line, no characters, no pre-requisite plots, nothing like that. All right, now that I've made that clear, on with the story.

The Guardian of Destinies

Miroku walked slowly back to the camp. The initial feeling of shock from Sango lashing out at him, as she had, dissipated as he remembered the small tear drop that had leaked out of her eye before she had turned away. He knew that she didn't want to cry with him there, and so decided the best course of action was to return to the others.

"Miroku?" was the first thing he heard as he walked back to their chosen camp site. Kagome had stayed back with the others when Miroku offered to go talk to Sango.

He gave her a small smile and said, "I think Sango will be fine, but she needs time alone at the moment." Kagome nodded and returned to her spot near the fire. The kit jumped back into the position on her lap from which he had fallen out of when Kagome had quickly risen to her feet at the approach of the Monk.

Miroku took a seat between the hanyou and miko at the fire and said nothing more that night. His mind tried to decipher what could be bothering the young Taijiya, but nothing made any sense. As the other members of the group slowly slid off to their chosen resting spots, the monk continued meditating on the meaning of these things which were just beyond reach until his body finally pushed his thoughts aside for a more preferable past time.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Taijiya was currently brooding over a destiny that she didn't want. Nothing seemed to make sense to her. Destiny was supposed to be kind, but she just found out that destiny didn't like being nice to her. She was already in love with someone else, and now she's supposed to marry a person that was nothing more to her than a great friend.

Sighing, Sango's tear filled eyes turned to the heavens. Lifting her hand up, Sango wiped away the tears with a frustrated move before they could fall. How did they expect her to be able to do what they want?

"You do not need to cry, young one," a voice said behind her.

Startled, Sango turned to the unfamiliar voice, but scowled with anger before turning back once she saw who it was. "What do you want?"

The figure sat beside her and waited for a moment before answering, "I came here to apologize for something."

Sango couldn't help the unbelieving sound that escaped her before saying, "Why would you apologize to me?"

Usagi smiled to herself before saying, "What I said the other morning led you to believe something that wasn't true. The prophecy is coming true, but you are not meant to be the one to fulfill it."

"What do you mean, I am the last of my house," Sango's curiosity couldn't help but be present in her voice.

Usagi turned to her, and the motion pushed the hood off of her head allowing her locks to fall free. She gave her a genuine grin and said, "I'm surprised at you, Sango. I thought that you were very astute. You really have not figured it out yet? Kagome is descended from you, and thus, from your house, allowing her to be the one to fulfill the promise, and I believe that she will be very happy with fulfilling this promise. Your part in this is just to be happy, and everything will work out."

Usagi couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the look that now adorned to pretty face of the young woman seated next to her. Sango opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out for at least a few minutes. When she was finally able to find her voice, she whispered, "So, I'm free of the fates?"

"Well," Usagi said with a smile, "in so much that you should not believe yourself their slave, for you aren't. Just be happy, Sango, and all will work itself out." With that, all that remained to show that there had been two women instead of just the one were some sparkles and a feather on the ground to prove that there had been anyone there at all.

Sango smiled softly and thought, for the first time ever, of what happiness the future could possibly hold for her and those that she loved.

Later that night, Sango returned to the campsite, having fallen asleep after the departure of the unexpected visitor, to find the monk lying on his side near the fire. She smiled at him and placed a blanket on top of the sleeping man. 'Maybe life can have a happy ending after all,' was the lingering thought in her mind as she made a pallet so that she could sleep the rest of the hours before sunrise.

Usagi smiled sleepily as she lay back down on the soft grass. She looked up at the stars and thought of her own life. It wasn't a punishment all the time, and she knew that it wasn't meant to be a punishment for being the only survivor. However, knowing that someone had to do this duty did not relieve the burden of being the bearer of it.

Sighing softly, Usagi turned to her side and tried to go to sleep before her musings made her depressed as they had a tendency to do. The same amber colored eyes watched her fall back asleep, and would be the first thing she saw when she awoke the next morning.

Sesshoumaru watched the mysterious girl fall asleep almost as soon as she laid her head down, and not for the first time did he wonder exactly what she was. She appeared to be a walking contradiction. One moment she would be serious and the next, well, she would be making flower crowns with Rin; at least, that was what she had been doing earlier in the afternoon.

Sesshoumaru decided to put his musings to rest for the night and closed his eyes to sleep. The last wondering thought that left his mind before sleep took over his body was, 'It is too dangerous for her to wonder around as she does. It will stop.'

The next morning, Usagi awoke, once again, to the toe of a boot tapping her in the ribs. It seemed to her, in that moment, that this would be how she woke up for the duration of her time on this little adventure. 'Too many convoluted destinies,' she groaned to herself, 'Lady Destiny must be a drama fan.'

Usagi tried to ignore the toe, but it turned out to be relentless, and on its fourth poke, she finally opened her eyes. The first thing that met her gaze was a gaze much more powerful than her own, and colored a dark amber color. "Mmm," Usagi groaned, "why do you always poke me with your boot in the morning? It's too early for this."

"It would not be such a problem," Sesshoumaru started, "if you did not stay up so late at night."

'Well,' Usagi thought as she gained her footing, 'there goes the theory that he doesn't know everything that goes on in the camp.' Gathering up the pallet that she had used the night before, Usagi packed it into her subspace pocket while none of the others were paying attention.

After the camp was packed up, Sesshoumaru told Rin to climb onto the back of Ah Un. "You are to return to the palace," Sesshoumaru told Rin.

"Ahhh," Rin whined, "I don't want to go back. I want to stay with Sesshoumaru-sama and Usagi-sama!" Sesshoumaru gave Rin a hard look and she bowed her head, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama." Upon Sesshoumaru's signal, Ah Un took to the air and headed west of the camp to the palace at the heart of the Western Lands.

The three travelers started to head in the same direction. Usagi felt sure that this day would go on forever. Without Rin there to make things interesting, the only person who ever said anything besides her was Jaken, and all he talked about was how weak she was because she was human. She never took the trouble to point out to him that she was not human, but lunarian.

Slowly, the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky. The day was proving to be warmer than the day before. Usagi began to lag behind the other two, although they didn't seem to notice. Or, more likely, they didn't care. That was all right with her, she was able to enjoy the walk.

When she had fallen back about seven or eight paces, Sesshoumaru stopped and looked around the area. After a complete examination of the area he said, "We will rest here for an hour. Be ready to leave when I return." With those words, he walked off into the forest.

Usagi grinned at Jaken and said, "Does he always behave like that?"

Jaken huffed at her statement and said, "Sesshoumaru-sama is the Lord of the West, he will behave as he chooses."

Usagi smiled back at his upturned face and said, "He is really lucky to have such a loyal servant as you, Jaken-sama. I have no doubt that you would die for him."

Jaken looked at her in shock, but he shook himself out of it quickly enough and walked away in a huff. Usagi, who had sat down on a log nearby, bowed her head as she rubbed her right foot. She couldn't help but smile at him.

Slowly, the sun moved, and the end of the hour finally came. When Sesshoumaru walked back into the clearing with Jaken right behind him, he found the mysterious girl asleep on a patch of grass near a log. Apparently, she was much more exhausted than he had thought her to be. Unsurprised at her weakness, he walked over to wake her up. However, before his shoe could come in contact with her side, she sat up and said, "Not so fast, I'm up, so no poking this time."

With that, there silent journey began again, but Usagi was in a much better mood than she had been before. The cherry blossoms were in bloom, the birds were singing, and winter had finally gone at last. Things were looking very hopeful to her on this day.

Somewhere far from the three that journeyed west, a small figure was resting under a full grown cherry tree. A small squirrel ventured near the apparently sleeping figure, but quickly ran away again when the figure moved slightly. However, this boy was not sleeping, but thinking very hard. Completely unaware of his surroundings due to the chaos the controlled his mind, he hadn't noticed the above mentioned squirrel, or the beauty of the day around him.

The main thought floating around in his head was of what action he should take. He had reached a cross road, and now it was time to choose. One way led to being an outcast, a wanderer for the rest of his life. A part of him felt that this was the path he should choose. After all of the evil and havoc that he had caused, all of the pain and suffering and death that his hands had dealt out, why should he be forgiven? The other path led to forgiveness, to love, to family. It would take him to Inuyasha's forest, and subsequently, to Inuyasha. Going to Inuyasha would lead him to his sister, the one person in the entire world he wanted to see the most was the one person that he was afraid to see the most.

"What is there to worry so hard about on this beautiful day, young one?" A voice questioned from behind him.

Immediately startled, the boy jumped to his feet while grabbing the weapon that he had brought with him. Turning, however, he found that only an old woman with a basket of healing herbs was standing there. After lowering both his weapon and his guard, he noticed that she was wearing miko clothing. "Who are you?"

"My name is Kaede, and I am a miko from a village not far from here," was her reply as she walked closer to him. "What ails you this day?"

"A decision," was the only reply he was willing to make. She seemed nice enough, but he had learned the hard way that not all things are as they seem.

Kaede nodded in understanding, "As it has been said, 'our choices determine the path of the fates.' Great courage is needed to make the right decision. If need be, I am willing to listen should you need an ear?"

"I know what must be done, miko-sama," he answered her. "The hard part is doing it. I do not need an ear, just time to find the courage I lack."

Kaede smiled at the boy and said, "If time is what you need, this I can give. Will you come to my village and rest a bit?"

Kohaku smiled at her and nodded. Walking over to the old woman, he took the basket out of her hands. At her shocked look, he said, "I will carry this if you will lead the way."

"This I will," with that and a friendly smile, Kaede took the lead with Kohaku behind her. "It is a day's walk. We will reach the village come night fall." And thus, Kohaku unknowingly headed towards the thing that he believed he lacked the courage to see through.

Evening was approaching as the small group made it through the forest of Inuyasha. They were on their way to see Kaede before Kagome returned to her time. She had made them come back because she had a math test in two days. 'Why are those damn things so important?' Inuyasha had questioned, but he came back with her after a good 'sitting' from Kagome.

The village had come into sight just as the sun had gone down over the hill in the distance. The evening light was still enough to see by, but they decided a quicker entrance into the village was needed. Inuyasha took Kagome onto his back, and Sango and Miroku climbed onto the back of the fire cat youkai, Kirara.

Laughing to herself at the freedom of feeling the wind against her face, Sango didn't realize that Miroku had smiled at her from behind. She had been so happy ever since her talk with that mysterious woman that she couldn't help but smile and laugh at everything. As Kirara came to a stop on the ground near Kaede's hut, Sango and Miroku both jumped off of her back and she reverted to 'kitty' size.

Just as Sango landed, Inuyasha came bounding up with Kagome, and she banged him over the head after they came to a stop. "Why did you have to go and jump like that when I asked you to wait a moment?"

"Feh," Inuyasha scoffed, "Sango and Miroku still got here before we did. You were taking too long."

"So this was a race?" Kagome asked nicely. Inuyasha looked a little taken aback. "Inuyasha?" she said again with a sickeningly sweet voice.

"What?" Inuyasha replied with a very guarded tone.

"SIT!" Kagome yelled at him. Immediately, he was thrown to the ground. "I almost FELL off because of YOUR stupidity!"

Sango laughed and turned from Inuyasha to Kagome and said, "Let's go inside and get something to eat. Will it be all right if you don't head home until tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Kagome said as the two women turned towards the door. "I think that my family may already be in bed, so it's probably best if I wait until tomorrow." The two continued talking as they entered the house.

Once Inuyasha was able to stand up, Miroku said, "Tsk tsk tsk, you should know by now not to do that."

"Feh," Inuyasha nearly growled at the monk. However, Miroku was not intimidated, so he huffed out: "This from the idiot who always ends up with a hand print on his cheek?"

The two walked in, and immediately hit the backs of Kagome and Sango. Looking up to see what was wrong, they both immediately went on guard. There, in front of them, and equally shocked, sat none other than Kohaku. And in this moment, Kaede walked into the hut from the garden that was situated behind Kaede's hut.

"We'll rest here for the night," Sesshoumaru informed the two following him. Usagi let out a sigh of relief at this piece of news. The day had been hot and humid, the worst type of day for the pace that Sesshoumaru sat. Usagi decided that he was doing one of two things. Either he was setting this grueling and tiring pace in order to get somewhere very quickly, although she knew that there were other ways to travel, or he was testing her to find out if she was 'worthy of being in his company,' or some other non-sense like that.

"Would you know if there is a spring near here?" Usagi asked her silent companion.

"Half a kilometer to the east," was all that he said.

Smiling to herself, Usagi headed in that direction. A nice bath was just what she needed, and she didn't care whether or not the water was hot or cold. Humming the melody of a song her mother used to sing to her, Usagi came upon the spring. Though she did not care whether the water was hot or cold, she was pleased to discover that it was warm.

Stripping out of her clothes, she left them beside the pool of water and waded in. After thoroughly cleaning herself from the day's dirt and grime, she found a comfortable spot to rest in. Soon, her mind wandered to an odd fact. Adventures like this never lasted for more than a day or two for her normally, but now she was finishing up day three. This was a first since she had started working with Destiny.

"I wonder when I will be called back to my normal duty," Usagi mused aloud to herself. According to Jaken, they would reach the palace tomorrow close to noon. If she was still with them tomorrow, she would really love to be with Rin again. Rin was a personal favorite of hers, and Usagi always loved checking on her. This was the first time she had come to watch over the girl since she had instigated Sesshoumaru's sword to heal her after the attack of the wolves.

Thankfully, Sesshoumaru hadn't noticed her then because she had been wearing the cloak given to her by Destiny. "This will guard your scent and presence from demons, but if you are seen, then you are seen. If you take the hood off, both your presence and your scent will be once again there for the demons to find, so be careful," was the warning given to her.

Enjoying the water for a little longer, Usagi decided that if she didn't get back soon, she might find a little green toad demon looking for her. Sighing with contentment, she climbed out of the water towards her clothes. Picking them up, her nose wrinkled at the foul smell, "Perhaps it's time for a new set of clothes." Suddenly, a bag appeared out of no where in her hands and she pulled a set of clothing out of it. Smiling to herself, she began to dress.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was sitting under a tree nearby. Before she had left, he had used both his scent and chi to set a barrier so that no wandering demons would 'accidentally' find their way into the chosen camp area. As he was waiting for her, he thought about the day that was now coming to an end. He had sent Rin ahead so that she wouldn't have to go through the trial that he had been planning. He knew that if she was human, she wouldn't have made the day through, but she had. 'Apparently,' he thought, 'the fairy tales aren't just tales after all.'

Looking to his side, Sesshoumaru saw that Jaken had fallen asleep. He had pushed him hard today, also, in trying to prove to himself that the tales were not true. His father had tried to tell him, but Sesshoumaru had refused to listen. Things were starting to become clearer and clearer as he realized that fate had set things up this way.

Usagi walked back into the camp, and the first thing that he noticed was her now clean scent. He had come to the conclusion that she had wanted to clean herself after the rigorous testing he had put her through. She walked a little closer, and began to set up a pallet for sleeping.

"So," Usagi said as she sat on top of her pallet. Sesshoumaru looked up surprised that she had spoken, "how did I do?"

"Hmm," he grunted at her.

Usagi smiled, "I guess that's a 'You did great, Usagi-sama'" He grunted again. Usagi giggled at him.

"Good night, Sesshoumaru-sama," Usagi said. She climbed into her pallet and went to sleep for the night. She prayed that this little break from her duty would last just a few more days.

Somewhere hazy

"Usagi," a voice called to her. "Usagi…wake up… Usagi…"

Slowly, she opened her eyes to see nothing but fog. She groaned. Apparently, her wish hadn't been granted. "I'm being called back?" she asked, but she already knew the answer. This was how she was always called back to the gates of time and fate.

"No," the eerie voice said. At first, the answer didn't register, and then Usagi looked up surprised.

"I'm not?" Usagi asked.

"No," sounded the same reply, "I have contacted you to give a message for a dear friend."

Usagi looked confused and inquired, "What message?"

"Before the destruction of your kingdom," Destiny started to explain, "I was asked to save this message to give to you at the end of you duties by your mother."

Here, she interrupted, because she really didn't understand, "What do you mean the end of my duties?"

"Please, Serenity-sama, listen," the voice almost laughed. "Your duties have now come to an end, and it is time for your destiny to play out. Your mother asked me to tell you to be happy and remember that things are not as bad as they appear. Even though she is gone, she loves you still and will always be with you."

Usagi swallowed her tears at the thoughts of her mother and held her composure. After a moment of silence in which Destiny aloud her favorite to regain her control, she finished what she had to tell her charge before her time here ran out, "Now, your duties to me are over. I have another who will perform these duties. You are free to fulfill both your destiny, and Rin's. She is your only remaining charge now, so be happy. However, keep in mind that everything you do will affect those around you, so never forget the words of your mother's note."

Suddenly, the world spun and everything faded. Usagi sat up straight and looked around her. There were all her things, the things that she always left at the gate. On top of her the bag nearest her was a note that said:

"My dear daughter, I love you so much. When you read this, I will have been gone many years. Your hardships have been hard and your duties many, for this I am sorry. However, I ask you to do one thing more for me. Do not cry for those things that have passed, but smile for those things that are to come. Be happy my dearest daughter." 

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

How is it that I have more story alerts than reviews? Hmm? I have well over five hundred hits to the first chapter (over a thousand in the entire story) and they can't all be people coming back who have already reviewed. Come on you guys, please review. I don't care if it's a flame (although it must be justified) just please review my story.

The Guardian of Destinies

Sitting in a semi-circle around a small room of a small home sat two demons, one hanyou, a miko and a miko-in-training, a demon-slayer, a priest, and a small boy. The boy was separated from the others by the largest space. Sitting on his knees, he bowed his head in shame. Before him sat none other than the person that he had wanted to see the most, and the person whom he feared seeing the most. Kohaku, for that was his name, clenched his fists harder in front of him. No matter how much he fought, the tears wouldn't stop.

"You must be brave, always doing what is right. All evil acts must be atoned for until forgiveness is received. No reward will be expected of doing good things," these were the things that his father had taught him. Kohaku decided right then and there that he would do what would be considered the right thing.

"Please," was the first word spoken in the deafening silence. Everyone's eyes turned to him in shock. "I know that what I've done to all of you, especially you Sango-chan," here he looked up at his sister before lowering his head in more shame than he could express, "is unforgivable and irreparable, but I ask that you will forgive me. If there is a price, I will pay it, but I believe that there is nothing I can do to fix those pains that I have caused."

Close to five seconds actually passed before Sango jumped to her feet and ran to her brother. Tears flowed freely down her face just as they were down her brothers. A few tears slipped past Kagome and Kaede at seeing the young demon-slayer so happy. Then Sango whispered, "You haven't done anything that we need to forgive. Now you're free from those past deeds that were committed, not by you, but by the one who tried to take you from me."

The others all slipped silently out of the cottage to let the two siblings talk. It seemed that they would be camping outside tonight, even Kaede was prepared to sleep outside of her cabin. Sango and Kohaku never noticed them leaving for they were caught up in the happiness that came from their reunion.

Meanwhile, Usagi was skipping along the path towards the palace of the moon. Sesshoumaru surreptitiously glanced behind him again. It seemed that the girl was aptly named after the rabbit for her entire being radiated a…well, there's no other way to say it… she was practically bouncing her way down the path. Something had happened last night, but he didn't know what could have occurred. She hadn't left the clearing and no one had come to see her.

He had set the same grueling pace as the day before. Yesterday, she had been tired due to her night wanderings, but had kept with him well, even if she fell back about eight or so paces. Today, she was walking directly behind him, almost stepping on his feet at various times. So, he had quickened his pace so that it was hard for Jaken to keep with them, but she still remained on his heels.

"I hope that we will be there soon!" Usagi exclaimed. "I really would like to see Rin-chan again. Do you think that we are going to be there by lunch?"

"We are almost there," was his monotonous reply to her inquiry. Usagi's dialogue had yet to stop since they had started the journey that morning. Sesshoumaru almost let a sigh of resignation slip past his guard as her non-stop 'prattling' continued, but he had too much control to slip like that. Rolling his eyes slightly in astonishment at his odd behavior, he thought, not for the first time that morning, about how glad he was that the day's travels would be done by noon.

The girl behind him had taken to singing Rin's favorite past-time song as of late: "…Jaken-sama, Jaken-sama loves the pretty flowers, Jaken-sama, Jaken-sama, loves to dance for hours…" over and over again.

He tuned out her mindless singing and focused on what was to come next. Her final test of truthfulness was about to be given, although she did not know it. The castle was enchanted so that humans could not find it. The precaution had been set into place by his father, back when he had fallen in love with the human, to protect her from those who surrounded her and did not want the union. It was set so that she could come live at the palace in safety. However, this never happened, for Inu-Taisho was killed before she was able to be leave her family. Thus, neither she, nor Inuyasha, had ever seen the palace.

Once they crested the next hilltop, the grounds would be visible, but if she was lying, she would not be able to see it. If a human were to come to the palace of the moon, they would see a barren wasteland instead of the lush green, cultivated land that was truly before them.

Climbing the steep part of the hill seemed to require Usagi's complete attention, for she had finally become silent from her constant chatter. Sesshoumaru noticed that, while she was able to stay with him, some parts of the hill required such a high level of effort that she would use her hands to help balance herself. Taking this into consideration, after all, he had been pushing her very hard for the past two days; he slowed his pace just ever so slightly. Apparently, however, she didn't notice him slowing, because she almost bumped into his back in her effort to keep up.

Sesshoumaru reached the top first and looked at his home. It had been years since he had actually looked at the beautiful structure. His grandfather had it built many years before even his father was born. The palace of the moon had lived through hundreds of generations of humans, and three generations of demons. This was an amazing feat, in so much as most places of beauty and splendor were destroyed before age could add its beauty to the structure.

The ivory colored turrets of the palace had been raised high into the sky and, when the moon was visible, would shine as brightly as the silver globe above them. Marble was the choice his grandfather had made for the steps in the courtyard and the pillars that held the palace up. The inside of the palace was adorned with gold and grand tapestries, along with artwork done by the greatest artists of his father's and grandfather's times.

As Usagi caught up to him, she was a little too exhausted to look forward immediately. Once her head eyes rose from the ground, Sesshoumaru was pleased to hear her gasp of amazement. Usagi was filled with astonishment at the beauty before her. She couldn't think of any way to express her amazement at the awe-inspiring vision that lay in front of her. Trees that were both cultivated and aloud to grow freely covered the courtyard, and the grounds were filled with wild flowers that only added to the magnificence of the palace itself.

A smile spread across her lips at the beauty that lay before her. She was truly happy that something so wonderful still existed. A flash of a memory of her long-forgotten early childhood resurfaced at the slight familiarity of the place that now stood before her. She had been running, running as fast as she could with joy bubbling over. Through marble and ivory, reds and blues, she went, trying to find…something…someone…her mother! Then the memory was gone. Usagi shook her head to get rid of the odd feeling of de ja vu that had spread over her a moment before.

Close to a quarter of an hour later, they were approaching the front of the palace. The servants, who had been warned by the return of master's ward, were already assembled to greet Sesshoumaru in front of the massive building that rose towards the sun. Rin, whom the servants had forbidden to run across the grounds to meet Sesshoumaru and Usagi, stomped on the foot of the current servant who was holding her back and ran to Sesshoumaru. Once she reached him, however, her manners had kicked in, if only for a second, and she bowed. "Welcome back, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she squealed in her childish voice.

Turning towards Usagi, however, she became energetic and happy again and ran to her. Giving the blond a hug that would have squished the life out of someone of a lesser constitution, Rin squealed, "Usagi-chan, welcome home! Will you play with me? Will you, will you, will you?"

Usagi laughed and said, "We can play later, but first, let's see if we can find anything to eat!"

Later that day, Kagome walked silently up to the well. The excitement of the morning had prevented her from leaving until somewhere close to three. "Man," she whispered, "there's no way that I'll pass that test tomorrow." She sighed to herself as she prepared to jump over the side of the well.

"Kagome," was the whisper of a word that stopped her. Smiling to herself, she turned her head towards the speaker. There stood none other than Inuyasha. "How long will you be gone?"

Frowning, Kagome realized that he was only there to make her come back quickly. "I told you before, Inuyasha," she said a bit irritably, "only three days. I will be back soon to help you find the rest of the shards."

"Oh," Inuyasha looked a little taken aback, but quietly turned to head back to Kaede's.

'Perhaps,' Kagome thought, 'maybe he didn't come to hurry my return for the shards.' "Inuyasha," she called out while jumping off of the side of the well and walking towards him. "Why don't you come with me? I have to go to school tomorrow, but you can offer your company to my mom. She likes to see you every now and then."

Even though Inuyasha didn't show his excitement on his face, his ears twitched and Kagome let out a small giggle. "What?" he huffed at her.

Smiling secretively, Kagome replied, "Nothing. Let's go Inuyasha. Mom's waiting for us." Inuyasha picked Kagome up princess style, bag and all, and pecked her on the cheek before jumping into the well.

Behind a tree stump sat none other than the monk. He had wondered to the well hoping to say goodbye to Kagome, and ask her to bring some things back from her time, when he had come upon the scene of Inuyasha and Kagome. Hiding had seemed the best option at that moment in time, and now he was glad that he had. If there was one thing the monk knew that this was, it was blackmail information on the hanyou. 'Now,' Miroku thought to himself, 'I will finally be able to extract my revenge.'

Across the village, the beauty of the day had not been overlooked by the two recently reunited siblings. Currently, they were reclining against a rather large cherry blossom tree just outside of the village. Not much had to be said after the night before. Sango had made it very clear to her younger brother that he was not the one to blame for all that had happened. Naraku, whom they had killed, was the only one who could be held even slightly responsible.

A small sound began going through the little clearing that they had been resting in. Sango looked towards the disturbance and smiled. Kohaku had fallen asleep in his position against the tree. His head had tilted ever so slightly to the side and his mouth fell open. The scene was so comforting that a part of Sango almost said that this had to be a dream, that it couldn't be real. She hadn't been so happy in such a long time.

Recently, though, there had been some disturbances in her emotional balance as of late. Frowning, Sango thought about the one enigma that she couldn't figure out. He, Miroku, had been chasing after her for a long time, but something was different recently. She couldn't quite pinpoint the difference. Suddenly, as if thunder had struck, Sango knew what it was. Miroku, ever since the appearance of the one whom Destiny had sent, hadn't tried to go after any other women. He was still charming, but not in the same way. As a matter of fact, he had been starting to cool down in that area since the defeat of Naraku.

However, the warmth of the sun, and the beauty that surrounded her, along with the singing birds above, didn't allow Sango to be confused for very long. She soon joined her brother in the land of dreams and happy endings.

Somewhere far from there, "Jaken-sama, Jaken-sama, loves the pretty flowers, Jaken-sama, Jaken-sama, loves to dance for hours!" Two voices echoed across the meadow that stretched before the magnificent palace of the moon. The owners to the voices were currently dancing in circles with flower crowns gracing the top of their heads. One was a small girl about the age of eight while the other was a young woman no younger than twenty, but whose age is beyond that of most living mortals.

Dancing together, the two didn't notice that the said 'Jaken-sama' was currently darkening his shade of green in irritation at the two. "Why did I get this duty?" he mumbled to himself. "Of all duties to be done, I am stuck babysitting these two weaklings.

Suddenly, Usagi stopped abruptly. Looking toward the east, she said, "Rin, go over to that tree and hide behind it. No matter what happens, stay there." Jaken was too busy to notice the change in one of his 'charges.' Rin, knowing an order when she heard one, immediately did what she was told.

As soon as Rin had gotten out of sight, a large Centipede demon appeared from the woods to the east. Finally, Jaken noticed that something was happening, and, turning towards the disturbance, saw the large monster that had appeared from no place in particular. Screeching, Jaken, on first impulse, ran towards the area that Rin had hidden in. However, he decided that a better course of action would be to use his staff. "Hey, girl," he yelled to Usagi without even look at her, "take the human and go find the Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Usagi, however, didn't hear anything that he had said. She had been gathering power ever since Rin had run from her. Chanting to herself in such a low voice that no one heard it, Usagi called forth her power with these words, "Strong as Steel, Loud as Thunder, Colder than Ice, Depths of Fire, Your mistress calls you out of need. From the sky, through times past, Out of the ocean, as cool as death's touch, come protect the one who pleads." When she finished saying this, a large tempest of sorts arose.

Looking up from her prayer, Usagi's eyes were fixed on the demon that had intruded on their peaceful afternoon. Fire lit in her eyes as the skies darkened, "Mars!" she called. What appeared to be a ghost of a girl with long black hair appeared. She smiled at Usagi and then lifted a bow of fire. This mysterious girl called out two words, "Flame Sniper!" An arrow of fire shot towards the demon, and it was incinerated.

The sky lit back up, the tempest waned, the winds died down, and Usagi collapsed. The power taken to do what she had done didn't affect her nearly so much as the image of her closest friend had. She hadn't used this power in such a long time that she had forgotten that the one she called on would appear. Tears flowed down her cheeks as the memories of her closest friends came back.

Tentatively, Rin came out of her hiding space. Jaken was just staring at the place in which the ghost girl had been. Rin, seeing how upset Usagi was, ran to her side and, after a moment of silence, gently placed her hands around Usagi's neck. "It will be all right," she whispered in her childish effort to comfort the older girl. "Please don't cry, Usagi-sama!"

Sesshoumaru had felt it. Some demon had the power, and the nerve, to pass his border. What creature, he didn't know, but they were dead the moment that they had endangered the lives of those under his protection. As he moved through his grounds, he felt a surge of power that couldn't be compared to anything he had yet felt. It wasn't the same as that piece of jewelry that the humans and lesser demons were fighting over, and yet it was. It wasn't the same as when a powerful demon, such as he and his father, transformed, and yet it was. There was no real way to describe it.

As soon as he reached the clearing, he saw Rin holding Usagi who was on her knees. It appeared that she was just getting over a fit of tears, for there were streaks down her face to show the path in which the tears had fallen. Rin, as small as she was, appeared to be trying to comfort the girl. Jaken was the one that appeared to be acting strange. He was staring at a particular patch of earth with his mouth hanging ajar. It appeared that specific patch of earth had been severely scorched very recently, and the smell of fire was still in the air.

Looking at Rin, who seemed the most apt to answer him, he said, "What happened?"

Rin jumped at the startling sound of his voice. Apparently she hadn't noticed that her lord had joined the rather shocked group in the clearing. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" she called to him. Her voice was laced with something akin to desperation, which was neither expected nor wanted. "Sesshoumaru-sama, is there anything that you can do. Usagi-chan won't stop crying and Rin is worried!"

Turning to the blond girl who was sitting on her knees, he noticed that she behaved as if there was no one in the field of flowers with her. She hadn't heard the pleas of the small girl that had previously been trying to comfort her, and was currently trying to shake the soul right out of her body. "Rin, stop shaking her now," Sesshoumaru commanded. Immediately, she ceased her actions.

Rin took a step back to allow her Lord to wake Usagi-chan up, to make her stop her daydreaming as Jaken so often refers to it. Sesshoumaru walked up to Usagi and knelt down slightly. Using his forefinger and his thumb, he took hold of her chin and brought her face up to his. They were so close that he could smell the salt of her tears mixing with her own unique smell. "Usagi," Sesshoumaru said in a slightly softer voice then was normal, however, if Rin or Jaken noticed this, they neither said a word. "Usagi, you must wake up. There is no good in staying like this. It is time to return to the palace for a meal, and you must be present tonight."

Usagi blinked a few times and really looked at him. Then, she did the last thing he was expecting, she screamed and threw herself backwards. However, as she did so, her feet flew from under her and right into his legs. The unexpected movement caused Sesshoumaru, who was half kneeling, to loose his balance and fall right on top of her. The mayhem ended with Sesshoumaru on top of Usagi and straddling her legs. Their faces were mere centimeters apart. For one moment, neither knew what to think or do. However, a small giggle brought them out of that single moment that was now lost in the waves of time.

Immediately getting off of the small woman beneath him, Sesshoumaru had complete control over his composure. The odd movement had brought Jaken to his lord's side immediately, "Sesshoumaru-sama, are you all right?"

Usagi, on the other hand, was blushing like mad, but she had enough composure to whisper to Sesshoumaru, "I'm sorry. I hope you're not hurt."

"This Sesshoumaru is fine," he replied. Then, turning to his servant, Sesshoumaru said what had been the original intent of his visit before the appearance of an odd youkai, "Jaken, we must return to the palace at once. The other lords will be joining us for dinner tonight. Tomorrow is the beginning of the peace talks, this you know."

"Hai," Jaken nodded as he scampered after his already departing lord.

"Usagi," Sesshoumaru stopped and turned back for a moment, "when you are better able, I will like to be informed of what has happened here." Usagi didn't say a thing, she just nodded. Sesshoumaru continued to the palace to finish the preparations for the other lords.

Shortly after Sesshoumaru and Jaken disappeared over the hillside, two figures came walking towards them. They were wearing what appeared to be furs for clothes, but they walked like they held some nobility in them. Usagi immediately went on guard, but she sensed no evil from them, so she held her attack in.

As soon as they noticed this, both of them held up their hands in a gesture of surrender, or friendship. The one on the right said, "We're not here to hurt you. Our lord is already here, and since we had nothing better to do, we decided to take a walk. When we passed by Sesshoumaru and Jaken, they were talking about an attack that was able to pass through his barrier!"

"Yeah," the other one agreed. "We just came to see what happened."

Usagi nodded and relaxed just a little bit. "If this is true," she said to them, "then give me your names."

This time, the one on the left took the lead and said, "I'm Hakkaku, and this is Ginta."

Suddenly, realization hit Usagi. These were the two wolves which had so many times saved the life of Kagome. They were with Koga, the wolf who was in love with Kagome, or at least thought that he was in love with her. In all actuality, his heart belonged to another, he just needed to release his heart to find out whom. Usagi smiled and said, "You're from the wolf tribe of the north, correct?"

They looked surprised, "How do you know that?"

"I know Kagome," Usagi explained.

"Oh," they both said simultaneously.

Upon the word, 'wolf,' Rin had hidden very far behind Usagi. Soon, she was shaking so hard that Usagi couldn't keep her own legs from shaking right along with the little girl who was gripping them. Prying the little girl's fingers off of her, Usagi didn't release the girls hands while she turned and knelt before her, "Rin-chan, what's wrong?"

"Wolf," she whispered so quietly that Usagi could barely hear it. "The wolves killed… everyone… the village… my friends… Rin-chan…" The shaking was so bad that she could barely talk.

Usagi immediately understood. These two, while not knowing it, had been a part of what had led to this, but she could forgive them because they had changed. Picking the small girl up was not hard. She whispered things in her ear to calm her down. Soon Rin stopped shaking, but fear still filled her eyes.

"These two wolves," Usagi said once she placed the girl back on the ground, "would never hurt you. You trust me, right?" Rin nodded, "Then you can trust them, ok?"

"Hai, Usagi-chan," Rin said. She ran over to the two, and, although she was scared, said, "Rin is very pleased to meet you! Will you be Rin's friends too?"

The two looked a little bashful. Ginta scratched the back of his head while Hakkaku tried to hide the small blush on his face. Then, Usagi came up and said, "You two can't be more afraid than this little girl, can you?"

Then, Hakkaku bent down and said, "I'll be your friend if you'll be mine, is it a deal?"

"Hai," Rin grinned up at him. Then she turned her attention to Ginta.

"Me too," was all that Ginta was able to say in his embarrasement at what he knew had happened. Rin let out a laugh and then nodded. Grabbing both of them by their hands, she led them to a particularly thick grove of flowers and proceeded to instruct the two on the best ways of making flower crowns, necklaces, and other such trinkets. Usagi couldn't help but let out a smile.

Soon, the laughter of the three on the other side of the field faded, and Usagi's mind turned to the odd event of the day. Where had that demon received enough power to cross over the barrier that protected the palace? It hadn't possessed a shard of the Shikon no Tama, and Usagi wasn't sure, but that power flow had felt familiar. 'There is something coming,' Usagi nodded in determination, 'I better be ready when it gets here.'

Walking over to the three that were currently knee deep in flowers, Usagi pushed all thoughts of the impending doom aside for the moment. If she had to fight again, and this time alone, she would. She would protect them all this time, even if it meant her death. But for now, she would live and be happy, for her mother, for those around her, and for herself.

"This time," a voice hissed in the dark, "this time, princess, I will have you. And I will kill you."

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

So, I guess that people just don't like reviewing. I have so few reviews for something that I am working so hard on. I wish you guys would review. I am sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but between my computer problems, my hectic work schedule and getting ready for the next classes coming up, I have been busy. I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

By the way, writing a Sango/Miroku scene is very hard. My respect has just increased for those who do it so successfully.

Also, I just wanted to say thanks to GoddessVixen, DPhoenix, LunarStar Princess Krystal, mystic soldier, Usagi Uchiha Yuy, Taiki, Megan Consoer, Link Strife, MoonBunny777, jojo, Eternalmoonprincess, CelticHero, and to all those who have read but not reviewed. Please keep reading.

"Serenity," Jupiter called out to her long time friend. "Serenity, you must come now!" She turned the corner that would lead her to Serenity's rooms. Knowing the young princess, she wouldn't be in her rooms either. That girl just had a knack for getting herself into trouble. The last time that she had disappeared like this, she had literally disappeared. Transporting herself outside of the palace, she had been in terrible danger before they found her. However, Serenity didn't think that she had done anything wrong, and would probably do it again.

Knocking on the door to her room, Jupiter sighed when no one answered. She cracked it open and peaked in. Nope, no one was there. She hung her head in resigned frustration. After a few seconds, she lifted her wrist bracelet close to her face and opened the top. It revealed a small screen and five buttons below. Pressing the center button, the screen split into four faces. "You guys, she's gone again," Jupiter informed her comrades.

The one in the top right corner said, "Let's all meet in the foyer. We can track her down once we're together."

"All right," Mercury started, "I'll be there, but give me a moment to get something Venus."

Ten minutes later, the four girls were together in the foyer at the front of the palace. "What did you need to get, Mercury?" Mars asked her while flipping some of her long raven locks out of her face.

"This," she held up a small computer and they all looked at it in wonder.

"What's that?" Jupiter asked her childhood friend.

"It's a computer that I've been working on," she said proudly. "We can use it to track down Serenity much quicker than trying to comb through everyone's energy to find hers."

"Is that what you've been working on so much?" Venus, the apparent leader of the group, asked.

"Yes," Mercury smiled, "now just give me a moment to find her." Typing at a speed that the others knew they couldn't compete with, after only a moment, she exclaimed, "Aha, I've found her. She's in that same place. And there's a demon closing in on her! We have to hurry!"

The rest of the girls nodded, and they formed a circle. Connecting to each other's hands, they started to glow. A rainbow of colors surrounded them: red, blue, green, yellow. There eyes were closed in concentrations. A wind picked up and threw their hair and close in every direction. Finally, their eyes snapped open in unison, and they all said together, "Sailor Teleport!" They disappeared, and it was as if none of them had been their in the first place.

Meanwhile, Serenity was enjoying the view that surrounded her. Flowers were blooming it seemed, more abundantly this spring than last. The fruit trees were covered in their blossoms getting ready to bear fruit for them to enjoy. Everything around her was so beautiful, and so peaceful, that she just couldn't seem to bring herself to go back. She knew that they were probably looking for her, but she was too content to leave.

Something broke behind her, whether it was an extra crispy leaf or a branch, she was unsure, but she spun around. Not five yards from her stood a demon. It was half human and half centipede. What appeared to be foot long spikes covered her from waist down to the tip of her tail, and her hands had claws instead of fingers. "I've got you," it hissed.

It charged but was unable to get very far. A rainbow of colors covered the meadow, and the four senshi, guardians of the princess, appeared in between her and the centipede monster. Venus' eyes turned towards the monster, and she glared. "Venus! Love and Beauty Shock!" With that, the monster was destroyed.

"Serenity," Venus said, once the wind had blown away the remains of the demon. Serenity held her hands up defensively in front of her. "How many times do we have to tell you that you're not allowed outside of the palace? There are beautiful gardens there, and you can enjoy them. If you're going to leave anyway, at least let us come with you!"

Venus went on and on, and Serenity just tuned her out. She had heard this speech before, and she would probably hear it again. Suddenly, the sky grew dark. The clouds turned black and the sky turned red. Evil laughter permeated the air. "Venus!" Serenity yelled to her friend, but when she looked at her, Venus was frozen. She had her mouth open, and her face was still furious with a touch of worry. The others were frozen too.

"So," that laughing voice said, "You're without your protectors this time! I will get you, little princess. From the day you were born, you have been a thorn in my side. I will destroy you!"

The senshi turned to dust before her eyes, the field was covered in flames. She was caught, and there was no way to get out.

Sitting up, Usagi grasped her blanket, the scream still on her lips. A cold sweat now covered her body. She remembered that energy flow from the day before. "How could I have forgotten?" she asked herself.

The door burst open all of the sudden revealing Ginta and Hakkaku, both with worried eyes scanning the contents of the room for the reason behind the scream. When nothing appeared that would justify screaming, they turned to the girl who was sitting shocked in her bed. "What happened?" Ginta asked her.

"I just had a bad dream, what are you two doing outside of my room?" Usagi asked. Suspicion had been rising in her mind ever since the attack earlier the day before. Ginta and Hakkaku had not left her and Rin alone until Sesshoumaru had come to retrieve them for the evening meal. All of the sudden, the little pieces of the puzzle clicked together in her mind and she called out to the two mumbling wolf demons before her, "Who told you to guard me and Rin?"

"Snmemu," Ginta mumbled so low that Usagi didn't understand.

"What?" she asked him again, more in confusion but with a slight trace of irritation coating her voice.

"Sesshoumaru," Hakkaku answered when it became apparent that Ginta wasn't going to.

Usagi let out a sigh after realizing that Ginta really didn't want to make her upset and visibly calmed herself. "Why did he ask you to stay outside of my bedroom?"

"Because," Ginta said looking up at her, "he said that you have a 'bad habit of wandering off as soon as all grows quiet.' He wanted to make sure that you remained within the protection of the palace, especially after such a low level demon managed to break through the outer barriers." Hakkaku nodded fervently agreeing with his partner.

Usagi smiled at them and said, "But I won't need to wander tonight. My duties are here tonight. I do have one question, however."

"What is that, my lady?" asked Hakkaku.

"What will Sesshoumaru do when my time to leave comes?" she wandered more to herself than to her companions as a sad smile floated over her features.

The two didn't know what to say to her. They couldn't even give a good guess as to his reaction to such an event. As their boss, Koga, had so kindly pointed out before they had entered his lands, 'Sesshoumaru is a wild card. There is no predicting him.'

Snapping out of her reverie, Usagi looked up at the two who were still standing inside her doorway and pointed to the door while commanding them to leave. "I would like to get ready for the day in peace if you don't mind!" she had said with a bright smile painted over her features. The abrupt mood change startled the two wolves and they quickly scrambled out of the room trying their best to hide the blushes that were spreading across their features. They were not gifted with women, wolves though they may be.

Once the door had shut behind the two, Usagi let out a small giggle at their antics. She was convinced that they really had a good life. Having never met Koga, she couldn't be sure what he was like, but she had heard rumors, and he was a loyal and strong leader even though he was so young. Slipping out of her sleeping clothes, Usagi let her mind wander to her current charge. She knew the small girl was destined from now forward to live a happy life, although there was a dark spot coming nearer as each day passed.

After she had completely dressed and finished with her morning rituals, Usagi took a seat at the small vanity on the east wall of her room and closed her eyes. Concentrating, she focused her entire being into accessing the small amount of power left to her by Destiny. 'Just to watch over the little girl,' she had been told by the eerie voice that had previously governed her actions. Looking into Rin's destiny, Usagi noticed something that was out of the ordinary. A small black spot in the near future caught her attention. It was fuzzy and appeared to be a time-stream rift. Frowning, Usagi tried to gain a better understanding hoping she wasn't right. If it was a time stream rift, then Rin could possibly not come out of there alive, even though her future is supposed to be happy. 'I can't let that happen,' she let her mind think over all of the different possibilities.

Releasing the vision of Rin's future, Usagi let out a small sigh of resignation. Of course Destiny would only release her to have such a thing happen. Now something was coming that was outside of the time-stream. First the monster that broke through Sesshoumaru's barrier, and now a vision of a rift in the time-stream. Usagi only hoped that her charge wouldn't suffer because of this, even though the small black area in her future said that there was probably no way for her not to suffer.

Looking up at her reflection in the mirror, Usagi studied herself. She had changed a lot from the carefree princess to Destiny's Guardian. Her hair had lightened from the deep golden color of wheat to a slightly silvery gold hair. It was a sign that her powers were coming to her. Soon her hair would turn to a beautiful silver waterfall. Her eyes were still a deep cornflower blue that shone in the sunlight. Looking deep into her eyes, she could see the years of loneliness and hopelessness that had plagued her life. They were the only physical sign that she was older than her apparent twenty-five year old body.

Running her fingers through her hair, she contemplated cutting it, but immediately dismissed the idea. Her mother had hair so long that it touched her ankles, she wanted that too. It would be the only thing left to remember her mother by, and she would remember her and all that her mother had given up.

One more moment of reminiscing was all that she allowed herself before pulling her hair back and leaving the room. She had a long day before her, and she wanted to be ready for it. Today, she wanted to be happy, for tomorrow, her troubles were going to increase tenfold. She would have to journey to Elysion tomorrow, and it was a long journey filled with perils. Yes, today she would be happy and content, and tomorrow, she will leave the only hope of a normal, happy life behind her in order to save those she had come to care about.

Somewhere Else

Miroku entered the small hut that belonged to the older miko. Kaede had left early this morning to go deep into Inuyasha's forest to collect herbs. This left them, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Shippou, and Kohaku, alone for the morning and afternoon. Miroku was hoping to use this time to have a chat with the young Taijiya, which meant when Shippou pounced through the doors that morning to retrieve a startled Kohaku in order to 'show him around' Miroku was more than happy to let them go play. Sango had protested until he had simply pointed out that Kohaku needed time with someone his own age that wouldn't hold anything against him. She had caved at that, and the boys had left the hut in excitement.

Sango and Kirara were currently resting in the hut. She had gone to polish her Hiraikotsu and Kirara had followed. He heard her talking to small fire cat, and he noted when she had finished polishing the large weapon by the sound of wood on wood created by leaning the boomerang against the wall. Deciding that this was his best opportunity, he chose that moment to walk into the hut.

"Hello Sango," he greeted with his normal smile on his face.

She looked up, startled out of her conversation with Kirara, and smiled, "Hey Miroku. I thought that you had gone with Kaede to look for herbs after Shippou and Kohaku went out to play?"

"No," he said, his smile faltering but never leaving his face. "I declined the offer because I had some business to take care of today."

"Oh, really," she asked while sitting back in her position against the wall. He took a position close to the small fire place that was currently dead. "What was that?"

"I just needed to speak to some people, nothing too important," he said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

There was a long moment of silence where he thought about the best way to approach the subject that had been bothering him for so long. He stared off into the empty fire place as if he were being consumed by the nonexistent flames. Sango was content for the moment to let him have his peace. However, when he didn't say anything more, she looked to the normally talkative monk.

"Is there something bothering you, Miroku?" she asked with a not of concern lacing her voice.

"Hmm," startled, he looked up at her. Registering what she had asked, he smiled and said, "Would you like to take a walk with me, Sango?"

"Sure," she answered him a bit warily. Standing, the young woman walked over to him but then paused. After a second, she looked to Kirara and said, "Will you please go find Kohaku and watch him." Nodding, the small kitten took off out the door to go find her charge's younger brother.

Heading in the general direction of the bone-eater's well, the two walked in companionable silence. Miroku was walking in an unfamiliar situation. For this moment, he couldn't find the words that he wanted to speak to the woman walking next to him. She was content to let him have the time he needed to find his thoughts.

Once they were deep into the forest, Miroku finally stopped and looked at the girl, no, the woman, that was so kind him. He needed to make her understand this feeling inside his heart. "Sango," he started, unsure what he was going to say to make her believe that he wasn't flirting with her.

She stopped a few steps ahead of him and turned her head, "Yes, Miroku."

He pointed to a fallen log and asked, "Would you like to sit down? I have grown fond of this log. Once the sun sets fully, the stars are the most beautiful from this place."

Sango smiled at him while walking over to the bench like log. She loved to sit and look at the stars. She loved them because, even though they were dim, they refused to give up their shine. They never gave into the darkness the surrounded them from all sides. The beauty of the cosmos was one that she truly appreciated.

For at least half of the next hour, neither said a word. The sun sank low into the west, and one by one, tiny dots of light appeared in the ever darkening sky above them. Soon, the last bit of rose left the sky, and they were in the dark. "This is truly beautiful," Sango commented to her troubled partner.

The comment startled Miroku out of his thoughts, and he looked at her. She looked ethereal in the moonlight. A few strands of her dark hair had fallen out of her high ponytail, and her kimono, which was a dark shade of blue with silver trimming made her skin glow in the rays of the moon. "What is troubling you, Miroku?" she asked when he didn't respond to her earlier statement.

Sighing, Miroku looked down again and said, "I need some advice, and since you are a very intelligent woman, I would like to ask it of you."

To say that Sango was startled would be an understatement. The wise, judicious, flirtatious, monk wanted her advice. About what could he possibly need _her_ advice? Her curiosity forced her to voice this question aloud.

"A woman," he said so quietly that she almost didn't catch it. Now she was stunned. This monk, who had never had a problem with women before, wanted her advice about a woman. This must be serious, she decided. He seemed so out of sorts right now, and it was about a _woman._ How unusual. A small pang went off in her chest, but she ignored it.

Deciding to tread carefully, for the monk did have pride, as ill-focused as it may be, she said quietly, "What do you need advice on."

"Hmm," he thought for a moment, "I don't need advice so much as an ear to listen."

"I would be happy to listen," she answered with a smile. The pang in her chest grew a fraction more painful.

"This woman is different from other women," he said after a moment. Sango silently encouraged him to continue as his gaze shifted to the heavens above. "She is strong, both emotionally and physically. She doesn't need a protector, but I want to protect her anyway. She is as beautiful as the moon, as warm as the sun, as soft as a rose petal and so much more. When she cries, my heart cries too, when she laughs, I am filled with joy. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy. She is graceful and elegant, her smile lights up the room. However, I am not sure how to tell her these things because I am afraid she will not believe that I am being sincere." At this point, he looked from the skies into Sango's eyes.

Sango remained silent for a moment. The small pang in her chest had grown profusely at his words. She was hurting, but she didn't want him to know that. It was now her turn to take in the beauty of the stars in order to hide what she was feeling. After a moment, and when her composure had returned, she said, "Well, considering your lecherous habits, I wouldn't blame her for not believing you. However, if you say those things to her, without touching her," here she gave him a hard glare and then returned her gaze up above, "she is not likely to call you a liar. You may be a pervert, but you are not a liar."

At this point, Miroku stood up and turned towards her, blocking her view of the stars. "Sango," he whispered getting down on his knee to be at her eye level. "I love you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Everything that I said, I said about you. I would be honored if you would allow me to court you."

Sango remained silent for a second before opening her mouth, but Miroku placed his finger across her lips and shook his head, "Before you answer, think about it."

With those words, he walked away, and left her to think while sitting on the log. He was not worried about her safety, for this forest was now protected by a barrier set in place shortly after the defeat of Naraku.

Far into the West

Usagi smiled to herself that night before bed. She was glad that Destiny allowed her to see what was happening with those she had previously looked after, even if they were no longer her charges. She was truly happy for the Taijiya that had suffered so much at the cruel hands of fate.

Thinking of fate brought on the thoughts that she had that morning. The day had been full, active, and all together wonderful, but the thoughts of the morning were now coming to the surface again. Practicing meditating allowed Usagi to clear her mind of what tomorrow was doomed to bring and find peace.

Five Hundred Years Later

She couldn't sleep. It didn't matter what she tried: warm milk, cold medicine, and reading…nothing worked. Sighing for the umpteenth time, Kagome pondered the reason for her insomnia. Inuyasha, it was as simple as that. He was the reason she couldn't sleep. Inuyasha was asleep in the living room, and it had been tricky to sneak past there without waking him up. He had very sensitive ears, and a very sensitive nose. A part of her suspected that she hadn't succeeded in her attempt, but that he let her believe that she hadn't woken him up.

Kagome loved him, she knew that much. She loved his temper, she loved his unsure behavior. She loved everything, even those fuzzy little ears…especially those fuzzy little ears. She loved the way that he pretended he didn't care about Shippou when, in all actuality, he would give his life for the kit. She loved the way that he would sleep in a tree and watch over their camp at night. There was no good reason for her love, she knew this, but that didn't change anything. She had even taken to counting his faults trying to stop loving him. He yelled all the time, he always called her wench, he never thanked her, and he was rude, abrasive, loud, obnoxious, domineering, and so many other things. He was also caring, protective, strong, dependable, and loveable.

Releasing another sigh, she turned onto her back and looked at the ceiling. However, she was rudely snapped out of her thoughts by the very person that occupied them. "Kagome?" he questioned softly. "Why are you still up?"

Her eyes had shot to his figure in the doorway the moment that he had whispered her name. "I can't sleep, what about you?" she answered his question with one of her own.

"The same," he said quietly. He didn't say anything more, he didn't come in her bedroom or leave; he just stood there watching her. It was unnerving, and eventually, Kagome sat up because of it.

"What did you need, Inuyasha?" she asked letting a little of her frustration show in her voice, but nothing threatening. His ears still flattened against his head in almost a hurt motion.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were all right, you have been acting strange ever since that woman appeared," he said while turning as if to leave the room. Kagome wouldn't let him. Achieving a speed that she didn't know she could, she jumped from her bed and ran to Inuyasha, catching him by his arm and not letting go.

Unsure of what to say to him in the awkward moment, she whispered, "Thank you, Inuyasha. I am fine."

They stood there completely silent for a few more moments, and he moved to leave again. However, Kagome tightened her hold and said, "Please, stay with me tonight. I need someone to hold me."

After a moment of thought, he nodded and walked with her to the bed. Positioning themselves to lie on top of the blankets, Inuyasha held the young miko in his arms. For that night, they were content to hold each other and be happy. Knowing that the future was unsure, that they may not be allowed to stay together, and that things were not going to be easy, they gave each other the comfort they both needed and desired.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Well, I finally finished chapter six. This is the hardest chapter up to date. Mostly, I think, because it is a bridge chapter. I needed to find a way to get them out, alone together, for the next part of this story.

Anyway, I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, however, I would love to own Sesshoumaru -.-;

I wanted to give a big thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter (MoonBunny777 xoxSerenityxox U.U.Y. mystic soldier, PinkRabbit and Lunar Star Princess Krystal).

I also want to give a big shout out to Usagi Uchiha Yuy. She has managed to review every chapter up to date, she has placed my story in her favs section and has it on her alert list. She also has placed me, the author, in her favs and on the author alert list. So THANK YOU Usagi Uchiha Yuy!

Trudging through the muck caused by the currently pouring rain, Usagi held back her sigh. It was now midmorning, although it could easily be mistaken for sunrise. She had suspected when she started out on this journey that there was a high possibility that it would rain. The dark clouds that had obscured her vision of the moon had been her first hint, but she had gone anyway. Walking slightly to the left to avoid a head first collision with a tree trunk, her mind wandered back to that morning's escape. Knowing that it would have been an unwise idea to wait until sunrise, the ex-princess had packed what she needed and left the shields before dawn. Usagi hoped that it would delay the knowledge of her absence until they actually missed her at breakfast.

Smiling, Usagi thought of a time in which escaping was done for the sole purpose of leaving the protection allotted to a person in her position. Always having her guards following her around had been annoying, and after she had eluded them so many times, her mother resorted to using the senshi. Her mother, Queen Serenity, believed that having girls that were similar to her daughter might provoke the younger royal to stay in the boundaries a little more. The idea had worked for a short time. However, nothing could keep that curious princess inside for too long.

She used to love walking in the glens that surrounded the capital city. The guardians her mother had assigned to her, and friends that they were, would always come looking for her. Minako was the worst about giving lectures, but Usagi knew it was because the blond girl had loved her like a little sister. All four of them had been over a decade older than she was, and so, even if they looked to be the same age, they were more mature. Usagi had been just a baby at the time.

Slipping in a puddle that she hadn't realized was there, Usagi plummeted to the earth. Her cloak, which had been given to her by Destiny, flew off of her shoulders as she tumbled to the ground. She put her hand out to catch herself, upon later reflections of this incident; she realized that had been a bad idea. Her wrist twisted in an unnatural direction once it came in contact with the ground. A sharp dagger of pain, so strong that it made her see stars ran through her entire body. The cut down her calf was nothing in comparison to the pain in her wrist.

Once she was able to take steady breaths, Usagi looked down at her wrist and examined it. The feelings that had coursed up her back had made it painfully obvious that she wasn't going to be able to use it for a while, but in the darkness and stormy weather that currently surrounded her prone form; she could not adequately assess the damage done.

The rain had thoroughly soaked her in the amount of time that she had been sitting there without the magic of the cloak protecting her. Shivering in the cold, Usagi moved 'finding a cave' from the third or fourth spot on her priority list to number one. Getting to her feet proved to be a slightly more difficult task with the use of her right hand disabled, but she managed. After a few shaky breaths, Usagi set out to find a cave.

Meanwhile, in the palace of the moon, a search had begun. It had started when Rin, distraught with tears pouring down her face, had run to find Sesshoumaru. Completely disrupting his meeting with his generals about possible threats, she had run to him and grabbed his legs in a death grip. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she hiccupped slightly with her tears never stopping.

Sesshoumaru had gently pried the young girl's fingers off of his legs and then lifted her by the clothing that was bunched at the scruff of her neck. "I shall return shortly," he said to his generals giving them one firm 'don't say anything' look. They all nodded mutely. There was a large sigh of relief when the door closed behind the Lord and his young ward.

The silence lasted for a moment before one brave soldier said, "I feel sorry for the one who caused the small human to cry." The rest just nodded or grunted their agreement. The room remained silent for the return of their Lord.

"What has happened, Rin?" Sesshoumaru more demanded than asked of his young ward.

"U-Usagi-cha-n," Rin stuttered through her sobs. She wasn't able to say much else because she was overcome again with tears.

Sighing while setting the small girl down onto her own two feet, Sesshoumaru bent before the girl so that he was eye level. She had placed her hands over her eyes trying to make the tears stop, but they just kept coming. "Rin," his strong voice commanded her to stop. She took a shuddering breath and looked up at him. "If you do not tell me what has happened, it cannot be fixed. Now, tell me what happened."

Nodding, more to herself then to him, she began her tale, "I went to wake Usagi-chan up." Here she released a small hiccup. "She wasn't in her room, so I thought she might be in the garden. She wasn't there, she wasn't in the dining room, she wasn't in the baths, and no one has seen her this morning. Ginta and Hakkaku said that they never saw her come out of her room." The little girl let slip a couple more sobs and a sniff but was, amazingly enough, able to hold her composure.

'She's done it again,' was the first thought that entered the Taiyoukai's head. He remembered that during the three day journey to the palace, she had disappeared many times. There would be no evidence to show where she had gone, and then she would return as if nothing happened. She never spoke of these disappearances, and he had let them slip. However, the tears that were caused by this disappearance were intolerable. She would return. He would make sure of that. But first things first, he needed to make sure that she was actually gone.

"Rin," he said turning to the child that was ready to break out into hysterics again. "I need you to retrieve Ginta and Hakkaku. Tell them to come to the front foyer. Then I want you to find Jaken and stay with him."

The little girl nodded with an important glint in her eyes. She turned and ran from the Lord's presence and went in search of those she was to find. Ginta and Hakkaku would be easy. If Usagi really hadn't left her room then they would be outside her door. Jaken would not be much harder. The small toad was, more than likely that is, in the library acting important by studying the current borders and figuring out who would be the weakest at this point in time.

Sparing only a moment for those generals in the conference room behind him, Sesshoumaru opened the door and said, "Meeting adjourned until otherwise informed. Set search parties out to find the woman that returned with me," He turned to leave with complete confidence that they would obey his orders immediately. Sesshoumaru turned his feet towards the foyer where he would find out what happened to the blond enigma that had become such a part of his life in the short span that she had been in it.

While he headed to find those he had placed in charge of her safety, however inept they may be; the person who had complete domination of his thoughts was headed towards any shelter she could find. The day was not improving as the hours passed. Usagi was completely confident in this small piece of information. In the short span of time that had passed since her fall, her wrist had swollen to about twice its size. Almost certain that the bone was broken didn't deter her determination to accomplish what she had set out to do.

Walking around a rather tightly clumped group of trees, Usagi noticed a hole in the side of the rock cliffs she had been searching for some protection from. She was nearly halfway down the mountain that touched ground near Elysion's entrance. The entrance itself was hard to find, it would take many days for her to discover the correct path to take. Of this she was sure. Walking towards the small opening, hoping that it would be enough of a covering for her to rest in, Usagi considered her options. These were not many.

As she neared the entrance, she saw that it was a small cave, but it would protect her from the elements and allow her to wrap her now swollen wrist. Once she was inside the cave, she pulled her pallet out of her subspace pocket and then pulled out some bandages that she kept just in case something like this happened. Wrapping her wrist one handed proved to be rather difficult, but she managed to do it. The wrapping job was poorly done, but it would serve her purpose for now.

The little excursion down the mountain had been tiring. A part of her registered that she may also be getting a bit sick, although she vehemently assured herself that this was due to the fact that she was soaked to the bone and had broken her wrist. Changing clothes and laying her wet clothing out to dry in the back of the cave, Usagi climbed into her pallet for some rest. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the makeshift pillow.

Back in the western palace, however, things were not going smoothly. The rain still poured down across the grounds, winter's last attempt to hold onto its grip of the world before relenting to spring. The search was showing ill results. The young woman was no where to be found. As for all that the seekers found, she had never existed there at all. No tracks, no smell, no belongings, nothing appeared to show that she had been there.

Sesshoumaru released a frustrated growl as another bad report was given. She was no where, and there were no signs of her. Deciding that he would have to do this the hard way, he turned and walked towards the exit of the palace without even glancing at the servant that had just reported to him. The younger dog demon let out a sigh of relief that she hadn't been killed for the lack of findings.

Stalking outside without heeding the pouring rain, the Taiyoukai was soaked within moments. He took to the air ignoring the strong winds as if they were a gentle summer breeze. Determination motivated the lord into finding the girl. Frustration was the dominating emotion. Frustration at the fact that she would leave without even telling him; frustration that she would go without protection into this storm, and frustration that she had left Rin, someone whom she had claimed to love and want to protect, alone to face the dangers surrounding her. He was mostly frustrated by the fact that he was unable to find her. She had managed to leave his shields undetected and left no sign of where she had gone.

Flying through the storm was a bit more difficult than regular flying, which was still a somewhat new skill that he had gained only a hundred years before. It required a bit more concentration than other activities, and thus his anger abated with the need to focus on something other than his growing feelings of discord. Close to ten miles out from his palace, heading in the general direction to the spot where he had first seen the young girl, he found his first signs that he hadn't completely imagined her existence. Her scent, intermingled with that of the storm, floated to him from down below the trees. Lowering to find where the smell had come from, he located her cloak. That was an odd find for the young woman would go nowhere without it.

Another smell drifted on the wind towards him. It was metallic, and the storm had altered so much that it took a moment for him to realize what it was. Blood, but not any blood, it was definitely her blood. It had her unique smell attached to it. A silvery smell that he could not describe which belonged only to Usagi. Turning to find the location of the smell, he searched the ground surrounding the location of the cloak. After a short moment that seemed like it may have been eternity, he located a small spot of blood near a branch. It was also on the end of the branch. Apparently, she had fallen and scratched herself rather deeply on this small branch. Sesshoumaru searched the ground for any more signs and discovered a small set of staggering foot prints leading in a general south eastern direction.

Turning his feet in that direction, he took a path that a part of him hoped would bring him to the hyper princess. Sesshoumaru decided then and there that if she wasn't already dead, he was going to kill her himself. She was just more trouble than she was worth. A cold feeling had gripped him at the smell of her blood. He was almost afraid to examine the feeling that had taken over his heart, so much like a first of ice that grabbed onto him.

Her path was hard to follow due to the bad weather that was not improving. The rain was coming down in torrents, and the thunder was booming over head as if it thought it could crack the earth into two with its anger. Sesshoumaru was soaked much earlier, but he didn't heed his own discomfort. With every moment that passed, he became more determined to find the one that was causing him so much trouble. Usagi's path veered left and right as if she was unable to walk in a straight line. A part of him worried for her, but he was unwilling to except that emotion and just dismissed it.

Suddenly, her path seemed to dead end into the underbrush. As he neared the bushes, however, he noticed that just beyond them was a small cave entrance. 'She must have gone in there to rest,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself. The lack of a second set of footprints leaving the cave led him to believe that she was still in there. This theory proved to be correct when he entered the cave and found her sleeping in her pallet just outside of the reach of the rain. A wave of warmth and something akin to relief flowed through his entire body at the sight of her sleeping form. Unwilling to examine these feelings, he examined the sleeping blond. The first noticeable thing about her was her labored breathing. With a little closer inspection, it came to light that she had a very bad fever.

Removing her from her pallet to examine her wounds from earlier, that cold feeling of worry returned when she didn't even respond to the movement. He soon discovered that she had broken her wrist in the fall, and it was proven that he had been correct about a deep cut to her leg. Attending to her wrist first, he loosened it from the poorly done binding; she moaned in pain but made no other sound. Taking the cloth and rewrapping her wrist, he made a conscious effort to be as gentle as possible in hopes that she would not awaken.

Once that task was finished, he moved to her leg. Usagi had cleaned the cut and wrapped it, but a one-handed job, however skillful the hand, is always poorly executed. Removing the bandage from her calf, he examined the harsh red strip that went nearly from her ankle to her knee. Searching for a cloth, he found a small rag of clothing that it appeared she had used initially to clean the cut. Leaving her on top of her pallet, he exited the small cave to wash it out in the rain water pouring from the heavens above. Once he was satisfied that it would accomplish the task, he re-entered the cave and went to her side. She hadn't moved an inch from where he had left her. A prickle of unease lodged itself in his throat, but he ignored it as he always did.

Once her leg was cleaned wrapped in a clean bandage, he placed her under the top of the blanket on her pallet. She moaned a little when he bumped her wrist during the motions, but other than that, the only noise heard was her panting for breath. Her fever was not improving. Taking the rag out into the rain, he soaked it in the cool spring water and used it to clean the sweat from her face. As he did so, he noticed that her lips had chapped from dehydration caused by her fever. He lightly rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, then, disgusted with his actions, withdrew as if he had been burned. Scowling at himself, he took a place across the cave from her and watched over the sleeping girl. There was not much more he could do for her at the moment. The rain made it too dangerous to move her to the palace. And the hours slipped by.

Time moved slowly for the Taiyoukai that night. The seconds crawled by slower than the ant that is stocking food for the winter at the beginning of summer. Still, there was no improvement in the sleeping princess' condition. Her breathing was labored, her heart rate was too high, and her eyes never opened. Her blond hair, which was darkened by dirt and grime, stuck to her face from the sweat. He tried to tell himself that she was weak and so he should leave her to her fate, however, something inside of him would not let her go so easily. Holding back a sigh of resignation, he took a seat beside her sweating body. Taking the rag from earlier, he again soaked it in rain water and used it to wipe the sweat from her face. Instead of her fever lessening, it was becoming worse.

Since keeping her warm was not helping, the best course of action was to cause a shock to her system. With some luck, things would work out, and her condition would not worsen due to his choice of remedies. Nodding to himself, he removed her from the blankets she had been so thoroughly wrapped up in. Discarding her outer garments, which had become nearly completely soaked with her sweat, Sesshoumaru picked her up. Trying his best to ignore her scent that was so completely her, he walked outside into the rain. They were both soaked to the bone in a few moments, however, he continued walking. He needed to cool her down; the temperature her body was trying to reach would eventually kill her.

Upon approaching a small stream, he did not slow or falter in his step. Immediately entering the stream, he headed towards the deepest part in the center. Once there, Sesshoumaru gently lowered her body into the cool water. She had been shivering uncontrollably since he had undressed her, and now it increased tenfold. But he was determined that her body would lower its temperature. The alarming thing about her reaction was her lack of mental response. She was still unconscious and it didn't appear that she was going to awaken. After a moment of cooling her down, he pulled her out of the strongly flowing water and returned to the cave.

Once she was dry, dressed, and tucked safely back into her pallet, Sesshoumaru returned to his spot in the back corner of the cave. He noticed that she had cooled off some, but not enough to bring her out of her sleeping state. Now, she was tossing and turning, moaning in pain as her fever began to break. He noticed that one moment she would be curled in the blankets, the next she would be trying to get them off.

Usagi, for her part, was half awake and half asleep. She was burning up and then freezing, and she could never find a comfortable position. As the shivering began again, the young girl tried to push the blankets off of her overheated body. Groaning at her inability to accomplish such a menial task in her weakened state, she tried to turn. However, to her surprise, the blanket was removed from her by someone else. She was too weak to open her eyes to find out whom, but she was thankful none the less. But it soon grew to be too cold, and she started shivering again. This time, something warm wrapped itself around her, and she turned into the warmth. Sighing in contentment, Usagi became comfortable and fell asleep.

Somewhere in the distant past

"Serenity!" her mother called out for the young girl as she walked down the halls. "Serenity, where are you?" There was still no answer. The queen let out a small sigh. The girl had escaped from her guards yet again. "What am I going to do with you?" she questioned the air softly.

A small giggle floated down the hall. The Queen looked up and smiled. Following the sound towards the princess's old nursery, the queen opened the door and said, "Now I've found you, you little imp."

The young girl looked up at her mother in surprise. A grin spread across her features as she saw the woman. However, she wasn't expecting an evil grin to rival her own on her mother's features. Squealing, she jumped down from the chair she had been standing on and ran. Her mother gave chase immediately, and her longer legs gave her the advantage. The little princess was soon held in her mother's arms. "Now," her mother whispered to her daughter, "What shall we do with you? I know!"

Setting the giggling bundle on the bed, before she could crawl away, the queen began to methodically tickle her daughter. "You…are…so…mean! Stop…I give…up…please." The princess whispered to her mother between the giggles.

The queen stopped her tickling rampage and gathered the small girl up in her arms. Lying on the large bed with her daughter, the woman was content to just hold the girl. "Serenity, you did it again," she said after a moment of silence.

"I know," the small one answered. "I just don't like them following me around. Besides, Kai-san is so strict."

"It's for your own safety, honey," her mother answered, turning onto her side to look her daughter fully in the face.

"You've said that before, mother, but they are no fun," the little one complained.

"Next week," her mother started to inform her, "Your senshi will be coming. They will take over the guard duty, and hopefully you will like them better."

"Really!" Serenity exclaimed. "That's great! I can't wait."

Turning to her mother, she stopped. The older woman had frozen with a look of terror on her face. "Mama?" the little girl questioned. However, there was no answer. The queen said nothing. Soon, everything around the girl darkened to almost complete blackness. She was barely able to make out the shape of her mother who was right next to her.

"Princess," a voice whispered throughout the air. "Princess, you are alone."

"No," she whispered. "No, my mother is here."

"Look again, princess," the voice whispered maliciously.

Serenity was afraid to look, but slowly, ever so slowly, turned her head towards where her mother had been. Nothing was there but a pile of dust. "I am coming princess, and you will not win this time. I will kill you for all that you have done to me."

She screamed.

Back to real time

An ear piercing scream broke through the air. Sesshoumaru's sensitive ears rang double as the scream took place right next to him. The fever ridden girl had been tossing and turning, and he had tried to get her to lay still to keep her from hurting herself on the jagged rocks that made up the inside of this small hole in the mountainside. Then, she had let out a scream that could wake up the dead.

The small girl next to him had sat up; her eyes filled with fright, and looked around. "Mother," she whispered. When her eyes met him, she stared for a moment. Then, still dazed with sleep and the remains of her fever, she threw herself at him and cried.

To say Sesshoumaru was shocked would be an understatement. No one, besides Rin that is, had ever behaved this way around him. However, the human child had taught him how to deal with crying women. Wrapping an arm around her so that he could lower her to the pallet, he tried to remove himself from her grip. However, she would not relinquish the hold she had on his tunic. Shaking his head in slight resignation, the demon lord remained by her side until she fell asleep.

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, I'm sorry about the late update. However, fantasy had to take a backseat to reality this weekend, and I was really busy.

Disclaimer, same as always, I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon (but I would love to own Sesshoumaru :D)

Thank you to all my reviewers. It's so nice of you all to review for me. Thanks bunches to xoxSerenityxox very encouraging! Also, I want to say thanks to Usagi Uchiha Yuy, mystic soldier, Lunar Star Princess Krystal, Moonbunny777 and Taiki. Thank you SOOOOO much for reviewing. I hope to see some more from all of you! Well, on with the story, and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Waking was like walking through molasses. It was difficult to differentiate between real world reality and subconscious reality. The first thing that Usagi was able to determine was not a dream was warmth. Wherever she was, she was definitely warm, maybe a little too warm, but she was comfortable. Whether she was too hot or not didn't matter, the warmth was comforting, and she snuggled a little deeper into her blankets. However, the next thing that came to her attention caused her to wake completely. The warmth was coming from someone beside her.

Her first reaction, which she had trained herself to do, was to do nothing. Her physical body did not stiffen, pull away, or make any sudden movements; her brain, however, immediately started to assess the situation. The person beside her, she decided it was a male, had an arm draped over her waist, and his legs were entangled with hers. One of her hands was fisted in the material of his shirt, but it was too dark to make out coloring. After completely analyzing their position, Usagi determined that she was not going to be able to get up without awakening her bed-partner.

Once this conclusion was reached, her brain immediately turned to the events that brought her to this place to see if she could remember who was with her. The last thing that she remembered was laying out her mat and going to sleep, alone. Yes, she had been absolutely ALONE! Who was this? Taking a chance, Usagi lightly pushed back from the man lying next to her and try to see his face. It was dark, and it was very hard to see, but a flash of silver and the crimson on his face calmed her more than anything else could have at that moment. That is, before she started getting upset that he had followed her.

However, the adrenaline that had flooded her system only moments before had left her. Now, feeling deflated, and still a bit feverish, Usagi rearranged her limbs into a more comfortable position. Closing her eyes, she immediately fell into a deep sleep where neither reality nor dream could disturb her.

Her companion nodded in an almost imperceptive motion that did little to convey the satisfaction he felt once she had nodded off again. 'She will need the rest,' his brain agreed with her actions, 'for when she awakes; when she awakes there will be questions to answer.' Highest on the list was why she would leave his protection without his explicit permission. Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru entered the state of meditation that allowed both his body and mind to rest from the day's activities.

Somewhere else

The storm had poured over the small village that stood on the border to Inuyasha's forest. Many of the villagers had been very grateful for the water provided by the heavens. The winter had been very dry in comparison to normal, and the rain had come just as most of the planting had been finished. The rain would supply a sufficient amount of water for the seeds to take root.

However, a Taijiya and a monk were uncertain about the rain. They were anxiously awaiting the return of their friends from the future. The disappearance of Inuyasha earlier that week had made them believe that he had followed Kagome to the future again. This was further proven by Kohaku's account. "I saw Inuyasha sneak out behind Kagome-sama by only a few minutes," he had informed his older sister the following morning as they were debating whether or not to search for the half demon.

Sango smiled while thinking of her younger brother. They had been reunited after all of this time, and as far as she had suspected, he had died once Naraku had been destroyed. However, the shard that was still embedded in his back prevented death from taking him from her. This created a small problem. They knew where three of the remaining shards were. Two of them were with Koga, the wolf demon lord, and one was embedded in her brother holding him to this world. Once that shard was removed, so would her brother's life force. The demons would then drag him to the underworld.

Deciding that she didn't like the way her thoughts were starting to travel, Sango changed her memories to the night before. Two days ago, Miroku had proposed to her, and then he had disappeared for a day. She supposed that it had to been to give her some space to truly consider his proposal. Not much deliberation was needed on her part. She had thought long and hard over her feelings towards the monk over the last couple of days. All of the confusion at the appearance of Destiny's 'mouth piece' had caused everything to come rushing at the young woman quickly. Some part of her had known that Kagome was the one meant for Inuyasha, but another part of her remembered that Kagome was from the future and could not stay.

Miroku's relationship with her had also rushed in on her causing even more confusion. She knew that Miroku cared for her but she had always thought that it was more like a brother-sister relationship; at least on his side that is. Now, though, she didn't know anything. Events had come at such a quick pace in the last few weeks that Sango was unsure of anything. So, that day had been spent in meditation. "Thinking was the best way to solve a problem," at least, that's what her mother had always said. After much consideration, Sango had figured out the best way to answer his question.

Taking her new found clarity, the young Taijiya went in search of the monk that night. She found him sitting on the log in the small clearing where he had proposed to her. 'Fitting,' she thought, 'to give him an answer in the same place where it had been asked.' Approaching him from behind, a part of her realized that he didn't know that she was there. Grinning to herself at this little piece of knowledge, the young woman sneaked up behind him and launched her attack. "BOO!" she yelled just as she pounced on his shoulders.

"Ah," he said slightly startled out of his thoughts. Looking over his shoulder, he sighed in relief, "Don't do that, Sango!"

Sango laughed, "You just seemed so down. I wanted to cheer you up. What has you so upset anyway?" The last was said with perfect knowledge of what was upsetting him, but she wanted him to start the subject himself.

"I believe," said after a moment of silence in which she used to take a seat beside him, "I was too forward last night."

Sango turned her gaze from the stars above to the monk. 'Is he taking back the proposal?' she asked herself. "Too forward?" she asked aloud to him.

"Yes," he said while still observing the heavens. "I do not want to pressure you, so if you prefer; we can go on as if I didn't ask you."

Sango frowned. He was taking it back, but not in a way that meant he regretted asking her; he just regretted asking her like that, with no forewarning. "But, I have an answer."

It was Miroku's turn to be startled. "So quickly," he almost squeaked. The key word in that was 'almost.'

Sango smiled as she observed the odd and somewhat nervous behavior of the monk sitting beside her. "Yes," she nodded slightly. "I would like to say that…"

Before she could finish, however, he interrupted. "Sango, please be sure that this is the real answer and not one made hastily!"

"Don't worry so much," she reclined lightly and placed her hands on the log to support her leaning back. "I would be honored to be your wife. However," here she turned a stern eye to the monk, "I will not tolerate any lecherous behavior to other women, or myself for that matter!"

Miroku nodded vigorously while holding his ands up in a defensive movement. "Of course not!" he exclaimed. A moment of silence passed by as the two watched the almost nonexistent movements in the heavens above them. "Does that mean," Miroku started slowly, "that we are going to be married?"

Sango smiled, "yes."

They had watched the stars for what seemed like hours before Miroku had finally suggested that they head back because it was starting to get cold.

That night had been one of the most peaceful that Sango had since before the destruction of her village.

Now, however, they were awaiting the arrival of a half demon and a miko that were going to be rather upset when they arrived. There was no way to prevent the two from being totally and completely soaked immediately upon arrival. The well was too full to empty it before they got back.

"AHH!" someone screamed from inside the aforementioned well.

"I guess there back," Miroku commented as they walked to the edge of the well to assist the two people in escaping the water.

Once Kagome and Inuyasha were out of the well and walking with Miroku and Sango back towards Kaede's hut, Kagome commented, "I guess that means you guys had a good rain while we were gone."

"Yep," Miroku answered his normal grin in place.

Meanwhile, across the land and far from those walking in Inuyasha's Forest, a Taiyoukai waited impatiently for the girl lying beside him to awaken. He had been up for most of the morning getting things ready to move out once the other person in the party awoke. However, now that the morning was coming to an end and afternoon was beginning, there was still no sign of her coming out of the dream state that she was in. The fever had subsided the night before, and while she would still be weak, she would be strong enough to find a better shelter. Besides, he was going to find out what had instigated this little disappearing act before they left. She turned, it was the first movement since he had gotten up this morning, and he watched for any other sign of awareness.

Waking for Usagi was a slow process. Her brain only managed to pick up half of her surroundings at first. She didn't realize there was someone watching her come out of her dreamless sleep until he cleared his throat. Looking to her left, she saw him sitting cross legged with his hands resting on each of his knees.

A moment of complete silence ensued. Neither spoke to the other, they just watched and waited to see who would give in to the deafening sound of nothing first. Finally, Usagi couldn't take it anymore and asked, "Why did you follow me?"

Sesshoumaru lifted his eyebrows, the only expression visible though a part of him wanted to show more annoyance at her for the stupidity of that question. "Why did you leave?" he countered her with a question of his own.

Usagi's eyes dropped and she sat up. Without looking at him, she replied, "I had no choice. Danger follows me as a storm follows lightning."

"What is so dangerous," he started in the same monotonous tone that he uses so much, "that this Sesshoumaru could not handle it?"

Usagi's eyes shot up to his. Yet again, silence engulfed the two royal children. Swallowing lightly, she licked her lips, "This is something that I would not want to involve you in." It was whispered, a thread of sound that traveled around him trying not to be heard.

"I am involved," he said, "because Rin cried."

It was Usagi's turn to raise her eyebrows. "I hoped that she would handle it better, but I am sure that I will return once this is taken care of. The last thing that I wanted was for Rin to feel any pain. That is why I left; it was to protect her from the danger that threatens to swallow me whole."

"If my home is not safe for you, where is it you believe you will be safe?" he asked out of curiosity. His home was the safest place in Japan at the moment due to the magic that had bee worked in by his father and grandfather. Why did she believe that she wasn't safe there, but somewhere else she would be safer?

However, her next words startled him, "I do not seek safety or refuge, but I seek vengeance for my family, for my loved ones. To defeat this being, though, I need the heirloom of my house which is in the temple that stands on the remains placed securely at the center of the garden of Elysion."

She sought the heirloom of her house? His shock was very evident. The heirlooms of the houses were only to be used in times of dire need. They were crystals, each of a different make and origin. The heirloom of the house of sun came from Midoriko during the great battle in ages past. It had been stolen, and now broken to pieces, but it was the protection given to the humans against those demons that would harm them. It resembles a garnet sphere, perfectly round, and the power it possesses depends on the will of the one who calls for that power. However, it was tainted by Midoriko's wish to kill those demons instead of purifying them, and thus it can be used by evil forces also.

His own family's heirloom was as white as a pearl and shaped like an oblong instead of a sphere. The surface was as smooth as silk and it always felt warm. It had never been used, but had been created by his great grandmother when she cried for the loss of her mate. The crystal had appeared in her hands on the battle field against one of the great dragons of ancient times, and she had embraced the warmth. It comforted her and healed her love. Ever since, they had guarded the crystal and few knew of its existence.

As for the house of the stars, no one was sure of the appearance of that crystal. It had existed since the dawn of time. Also, the crystal appeared to have the most power and could only be used by the family that ruled those people. Its strength was legendary, and the times that it was used were great changing points in all of the history of earth. However, there was a large catch to using it. If the carrier called forth the power of the crystal, and they used too much, they would die. Every royal that has used it in all of history has died.

Thinking of this made him angry. She planned on running to this crystal and using it to commit suicide by fighting some unknown force. After the moment of silence that had passed following her words, he let out a small growl of frustration, "You would kill yourself for vengeance? That is selfish little one!" These words were spoken with an underlying growl to his voice.

Usagi was startled by two things in this statement. The first, and foremost, was that he cared enough to try and stop her from doing this. The second, however, was a little lower on the priority list. How did he know that she would die? She knew it, of course, because she had been taught to use the crystal meant death for the bearer. It was an inevitable action. As far as Usagi could tell, there was no other way for things to happen.

"I do not plan to use the crystal," she told him, more to placate his anger than to inform him of her original plan.

"Then why seek it?" he asked, his masked confusion slightly apparent in his voice.

"I seek the crystal so that, should circumstances require, I would have it to use," she told him softly. "I do not wish for death, but rather for life. I want to live, to be happy for my mother and those that gave their lives for me. Never would I disgrace their memories by wishing for death. You are right, that is very selfish. However, should an opportunity for vengeance and justice present itself, I will serve it for them."

Sesshoumaru watched her. The small ember of respect gained by her endurance on the journey to the west was slowly being fanned into a flame. Of what, he didn't know, but he was sure that some part of him was beginning to enjoy the girl's company. Resisting the urge to shake himself out of his thoughts, he stood and offered his hand to the still somewhat sick woman in front of him. "It is getting late, and if you wish to make it to this garden, we must journey. All things have been packed besides the bedroll."

Usagi nodded once she was on her feet and turned to fix the bedroll. However, she was stopped in her actions by Sesshoumaru fixing it first. "You are still weak; leave your energy for walking." Usagi shrugged and picked up her pack.

The journey was hard. Usagi told him to follow the sunrise in order to find the garden, and thus they traveled east. The ground was still wet and there were puddles everywhere. Usagi, being as weak as she was from the fever, more than once, caught herself slipping on the soaked ground. The first time, she had placed her foot down on a small frog, and it moved once her foot touched it. The startling movement of life at her feet had caused her to jump and slip. Sesshoumaru had caught her as she had fallen forward, but he didn't say anything, just kept moving. The younger girl had been embarrassed by her unladylike action, and just followed in silence. The next two falls were more related to her exhaustion. She stumbled over a stick and a stone the first time, and the second, there was nothing there for her to fall over.

"We rest here," Sesshoumaru stated shortly after her third fall. They were in a small clearing that was surrounded completely by trees. The ground was still damp, but for the most part it was dry. The day had been clear and warm, drying most of the water that had been brought by the rain. Usagi released a sigh of relief at this news. Her body still hadn't completely recovered from the ordeal of the last two days. Taking her small pack off, she let it drop from her fingers and she sat down needing to rest.

Unable to keep her eyes open, Usagi didn't even make her pallet. She lay down on the damp grass and used her pack as a pillow. She was asleep before she even fully stretched out. Sesshoumaru noticed this and frowned. She had been tired, this he knew, but he had not known how tired. When she had tripped over thin air, he had decided that they would rest, but he had expected her at least to make a pallet. He pulled her blanket out of the pack that was acting as a pillow and covered her slightly shivering frame. Tomorrow, he would take things slower in order to give her body the proper time to recover.

Making camp took no more than moments for Sesshoumaru. Since she was already asleep, Usagi didn't notice him build a fire to keep her warm, but her body was grateful for the warmth that it provided in the chilly spring air. The night was peaceful, that is, until something happened. Close to two or three in the morning, there was a loud crash, and something came through the underbrush. The sounds woke both of the occupants of the camp.

A hideous snake youkai was tearing through the brush that lined the bottom of the trees on the outskirts of the camp. "I will kill you!" it hissed. "I will kill you princesssss!"

Usagi stared, horrified by the ugly vision and the threat just given to her, still in a daze from coming out of her sleep. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, was jumping into action. He lunged for the creature and his claws grew longer while turning a sickly green color showing that he was planning on poisoning the demon that had disturbed their rest. However, just as he jumped into battle with the snake demon, another one came out of the underbrush and went immediately for Usagi.

She rolled out of her pallet just mere seconds before the demon would have landed on her. Ending her roll in a crouch facing the demon, she watched for her opening, now fully awake. "I will kill you," it hissed just as the other had done. "You have troubled our massster!"

"Who is your master?" Usagi demanded of the foul creature standing before her.

"Our massster will desssstroy you!" it yelled at her while diving for another attack. Usagi dodged it easily.

"Tell me, who sent you?" she demanded yet again.

"You will die!" it went at her again. "Nehelenia-ssssama will ssssee to that!"

"No," Usagi whispered. The creature went to attack again. Usagi could hear Sesshoumaru battling the other one on the opposite side of the clearing, but she couldn't tell without looking whether he was all right and to look away would mean death at this point. She dodged his attempt again and called upon her protectors yet again. Her voice was quiet as she whispered the spell, "Strong as steel, loud as thunder, colder than ice, depths of fire, your mistress calls you out of need. From the sky, through times past, out of the ocean, as cool as death's touch, come protect the one who pleads!"

The wind whistled and roared around her, and yet she didn't flinch. The demon stared in horror as blue beams shot out of her. Usagi's eyes hardened and became as cold as the ice that floated through the north, "Mercury!" A ghost of a figure appeared in the dark corner of the woods. She smiled at Usagi and turned to the demon, "Aqua Rhapsody," she yelled as a harp of water and ice appeared. The demon was shot through the heart by the attack and died.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru had killed off the one that he was fighting and was observing these events closely. The demon disappeared into a pile of dust. This made his eyes widened and he turned to look at the body of the one that he killed. However, there was no body, just a pile of dust where it had lain. Usagi stared at the ghostly figure that hadn't disappeared. She was a pretty girl with deep blue hair that ended at her shoulders. The ghost walked up to Usagi, and Sesshoumaru was tempted to stand between them. If it hadn't been for the tears in Usagi's eyes, he would have.

"Usagi-chan!" there was a whisper of sound. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

"Ami?" Usagi questioned the girl.

"Usagi-chan," the voice said again, "please do not cry. We are never far from your heart and we will always protect you. Don't cry for us, we are happy. We will see you soon dear princess. Soon our new lives will unite with your old life. Be happy and watch for us!" With those words, the girl disappeared as soon as she stood directly in front of Usagi.

Tears flowed freely down her face and she fell to her knees where she stood. She couldn't stop the pain, but this time, there was hope. What did she mean that their new lives would reunite with her old life? Did that mean that they had been reborn? Was she finally going to be reunited with those that she loved so dearly through her childhood?

The night was long as neither could sleep again. Once the sun rose over the treetops, the two left again on their journey to find a garden protected by magic, demons, and spells. The trials to come would be many, but Usagi would face them with a new hope, for her friends would come soon.

'til we meet again, I say farewell dear friend.'


	8. Chapter 8

Gomen gomen! I'm so sorry you guys that this took so long! Anyway, I hope that I haven't lost any of my readers because of it. Please enjoy this chapter.

First, however, I would like to say thank you to my reviewers. LunarStar Princess Krystal, Mystic Soldier, Moon Bunny777, Hime-Jun-Hi, and Ayjah. Again, thank you for your reviews, and please enjoy this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon, please don't sue me (you won't get much even if you do anyway, so it's not worth the effort).

Recap

Tears flowed freely down her face and she fell to her knees where she stood. She couldn't stop the pain, but this time, there was hope. What did she mean that their new lives would reunite with her old life? Did that mean that they had been reborn? Was she finally going to be reunited with those that she loved so dearly through her childhood?

The night was long as neither could sleep again. Once the sun rose over the treetops, the two left again on their journey to find a garden protected by magic, demons, and spells. The trials to come would be many, but Usagi would face them with a new hope, for her friends would come soon.

'Til we meet again, I say farewell dear friend.'

The next day was yet another of the grueling walk. Through hills and valleys, smooth and steep, they traveled. No longer as weak as she had been the day before, Usagi managed to not trip over nothing as she had yesterday. The pair was silent, one contemplating where this day's travel would bring them, the other thinking of the night before.

The promise, for that is what it was, would be a sure way of loosing the one that walked behind him. Was he so sure that he was ready to let her go, guardians or not? However, these questions would have to wait. Sesshoumaru was sure that Usagi would not just up and leave, for she was an honest girl. She loved Rin like a daughter, and would not leave her without good reason.

The other of the two companions contemplated things of a far different nature. At some point during this day she would encounter the first of those three trials. When the heirloom had been hidden, her mother had given her the directions to follow should the need ever arise to seek it.

"Should you ever need it daughter," her mother told her, "there is only one way to find it."

"What is that, Mother?" the young princess had asked.

"Seek the east, oh dear heart," her mother began, as if in a trance.

"Look to the rising sun to find that which is gone.

When all is lost, and you have but one repose,

This is the way to find that which will destroy your foes.

First, head east for three cycles of the moon,

Then your goal will be reached soon.

But yet there is still a task to be done

A test to be sure that you are the one

Your mind, body, spirit and heart,

Will be tested and trimmed and torn all apart.

Be ready, be ready, oh my dearest one

For this is that which can't be undone."

Usagi remembered this well, for she had been made to say it until she knew it better than her own name. The last line had been confusing back when she had first heard it, so she had asked her mother what it meant by 'can't be undone.' Her mother had smiled and patiently explained it. "If you walk east for three days, with your heart set on finding the crystal, the test will start and you will not be able to back out. Once it starts, it's too late to pull back. If you fail, you will die."

She still remembered the shock that had taken over her entire being at the time when she had heard those words. What a child she had been! To be amazed that she could be killed by a test. Hadn't she already been through so many things that could kill her? What would this be but yet another one of those many experiences? Kagome's thoughts were not at all encouraging her state of mind. Sesshoumaru was under a similar predicament, but his thoughts were on a different subject.

His thoughts had taken a rapid turn from earlier. Thinking about the day's journey had brought to mind what the journey was for. To help her with this task of retrieving an heirloom, one which has been known to kill those who would call upon its power, meant helping her get one step closer to death. To loose the rabbit was not a thought that he entertained with pleasure. Unsure as to his reasons for caring, the demon lord was still not pleased with the notion.

Until Rin had come along, the demon had cared for no one, using all of his skills to hold those lands which his father and grandfather had gained. He cared not for gaining more ground or being around other living beings. Jaken had been his only constant companion in the past. Now, however, his group was beginning to grow more and more. First Rin, then Ah Un, and now Usagi, have become a part of his entourage. Sesshoumaru didn't mind their company, as a matter of fact; a part of him enjoyed having them around.

But yet, he was not staying on the rabbit trail of choice. The current situation required him to stay focused, and thus, he forcefully redirected his thoughts. What was he to do about the current situation? Should he continue to aid the runaway princess in her quest or should he force her to return to the palace and leave it be; confident as he was in his ability to overcome her foe? To underestimate an enemy, however, generally results in death, and as this enemy has proven herself to be powerful, it would be a deadly mistake to take her abilities for granted.

Both of them were so caught up in their own thoughts and musings that neither noticed as the landscape changed. And as it changed, though gradual, it was complete. For, they had been walking in a forest, over dirt and tree root, twig and leaf. But, over a somewhat short period of time, they were no longer walking in a jumble of trees on paths created by dear, but they were walking in a field. And, when they had discovered the change, Usagi looked back, the forest wasn't there anymore. It wasn't that they had not been paying attention for such a long period of time that it had simply gone out of their vision range. It was, so to speak, no longer there. Or, at least, they were no longer anywhere near the forest.

Taking stock of their situation, each of them turned in a circle, with their backs to the other and their faces outward towards to the new landscape. Now, they were in a wide meadow, and had it not been for the odd way of getting to their new location, Usagi would have enjoyed the view. The meadow was lush in the spring weather, and flowers were growing up wildly in all directions. A rainbow shone in the distance where rain must have been pouring along the horizon. The dark clouds, however, were unable to hide the sunbeams that shone through them creating a curtain of light.

For one more moment, Usagi aloud herself to take in the beauty surrounding her, but soon she turned her attention to more important things. First on her priority list was to find out where she was. Following closely in second was a simple question; why was she here? Once these two things were found out, she could easily find time to take in the calm elegance that surrounded her.

In the distance, a figure began to be visible. It was slowly coming closer to the two that had been in the process of thoroughly becoming confused by their situation. The figure appeared to be walking behind the curtain of light created by the sun, although, Usagi wasn't sure that it was only the sun that created that curtain. As the figure reached the point of the curtain, it appeared to part as if to create a passage for the slowly advancing figure. However, once the figure was through, it closed again.

Time seemed to not be moving as they both watched the figure slowly approach them. It appeared to not be in any hurry, for it walked as if it were strolling through a park or lane and not as if it were coming towards them specifically. However, as the minutes ticked by, the thing became more and more apparent. It was manlike in shape, although it could have definitely been demon in lineage, for it was at least twice as tall as Sesshoumaru. Other than its height, the giant was the same as a man. Unlike Sesshoumaru, there were no visible stripes or markings on his skin.

He wore a white robe that covered him from neck to foot. And, Usagi was sure, dragged slightly behind him. It seemed to be made of silk for it flowed like milk across his skin. Once this giant of a man was a few feet away from them, he finally took notice of the two that he had slowly been approaching over the last half hour. A moment passed, and no one said anything. Finally, the giant spoke, and his voice was as large as he was, "Why have you come to seek this thing?"

His question was very specifically addressed to Usagi, and she stood straight and stared him in the eyes, "Because all I love and care for is threatened. The world has yet again an unnatural shadow spreading across it."

"Do you know what this shadow is?" He asked this question, but yet it was as if he knew the answer himself. More like his question was to provoke her into saying something that she shouldn't, or to point something out to her attention that she had not yet before seen.

"I do," Usagi simply answered.

"Do you not seek revenge?" the giant asked as if somewhat perplexed by her simple answer.

"I cannot deny that it would set my heart at ease, but no, I do not 'seek' revenge," Usagi said all this while staring almost straight up into the eyes of the giant. It was very apparent that she meant what she said.

"Then," he said after searching her eyes for something that he didn't find, "I will give you the first test."

Once this was said, the giant turned for the first time to Sesshoumaru. It was as if he had just taken notice of him, but instead of looking back at Usagi, he stared hard and deep into Sesshoumaru's eyes. Unwilling to give a victory to the other, Sesshoumaru stared straight back. However, this may not have been the best idea. It seemed as if the stare of the giant seemed to be piercing through his very soul. Suddenly, his mind was filled with visions, and not those that people seek for.

The first was of Usagi standing over Rin's dead, bleeding body while holding a knife covered in the small girl's blood. Usagi was grinning madly at him. The next showed Usagi using the amazing power she seemed to have in order to destroy his home. The next showed her yet again standing over Rin's beaten and bruised body and kicking her. These visions were followed by many more depicting Usagi destroying everything that he had. Eventually, Sesshoumaru wasn't able to discern reality from fiction. His mind began to believe these visions that wouldn't stop.

Slowly, each vision made him angrier and angrier. Eventually, his eyes bled red and he gave into his instinct to allow his demon to destroy the threat to his home and pack. With blood red eyes, he turned towards Usagi and growled. Usagi, who had been preparing herself to be tested hadn't expected him to do any such thing. However, when he growled, Usagi turned her startled eyes to him.

Were it not for her instincts that had been refined to pinpoint precision over the years, she would have been killed on the spot. However, she jumped out of the way of his claws just in time to prevent being sliced in half. "Sesshoumaru?" she asked uncertainly. His actions were odd and most definitely out of character. Her only answer was a low growl as the prequel to another attack; this one including the sickening green poison that leaked from his claws. The acid like substance burned a hole in the ground wherever it fell from his fingertips.

"Sesshoumaru!" Usagi called sharply as she dodged yet another attack. "Snap out of it! What is wrong with you?" Still, she received no answer above the now constant growling coming from his throat. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" She screamed in frustration. Then, it clicked. This was the test; this was what her mother had warned her of. Now, it was too late to go back, she could only go on.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi dodged yet another swipe with his claws. This, apparently, frustrated the enchanted demon, for he went for his sword. However, the giant, which Usagi had almost forgotten in all the chaos, shook his head and said, "No weapons to be pulled out here."

Sesshoumaru's sword disappeared from his side. The enraged demon snarled when he discovered that the item he was reaching for was gone. With the lack of his sword, the demon was no less dangerous, and Usagi barely dodged the next blow that was aimed to cut straight through her heart.

"Sesshoumaru," Usagi called to him. "What's wrong with you? Please wake up!" The only response she received was yet another swipe aimed for her person. "Sesshoumaru," she whispered more to herself. "Why did I involve you in this? I knew it was too dangerous. I'm sorry." A single tear of remorse and sorrow for Sesshoumaru fell from her eye and down her face. "I'm so sorry, Sesshoumaru."

Jumping out of the way of another swipe, yet another tear fell from her eye. "Sesshoumaru," she whispered his name. Another tear fell from her eyes. "I'm so sorry." The tears kept coming, more and faster. She couldn't have stopped if she wanted to. But, the tears began blocking her vision, and her dodging became sloppy. She slipped up and his claws, thankfully those which he hadn't yet filled with his poison, swiped her side.

"Ahhh!" she screamed. Falling to her knee, Usagi looked up at Sesshoumaru. His eyes hadn't lost any of their fire. She was looking into the face of death itself. The tears still fell consistently from her eyes. "I'm sorry," Sesshoumaru raised his poisoned hand. "I only hope that after this is all over, that you will forgive me, Sesshoumaru."

After saying these words, Usagi closed her eyes and prepared herself for the blow that was coming. She didn't have either the energy or the ability to dodge another of his demon-speed attacks. "I'm sorry," and her tears flowed in torrents.

Upon her forehead, a light appeared, so suddenly that it caught Sesshoumaru's eye. The light brightened in intensity, making it almost impossible for anyone to see. At the center of the light sat a golden nine-pointed star. Sesshoumaru's eyes lost all of the red that had bled through them. With the amber returning to his eyes, awareness returned to his mind. It took seconds for him to remember and realize what had been happening, and what he was about to do.

When the light faded, Usagi looked up to see why she hadn't yet been killed. The first thing that she noticed was that Sesshoumaru's eyes had returned to normal. His face seemed slightly confused, but only for a moment before his stoic expression returned. The second thing that she noticed was that her side no longer hurt. Looking down, she noticed that her clothes had been returned to normal and there was no sign that she had lost a single drop of blood.

Standing to her feet, Usagi looked around, and her eyes rested on the demon standing in the clearing about ten feet from them, currently, he was walking towards her. Handing the sword back to Sesshoumaru, who growled a little at the sword having been taken, he turned to Usagi and said, "You have passed. Your strength of heart is stronger than the strongest demon in the world. Walk east and you will be given your next test. Be ready, for it will come when you least expect it."

Usagi gave him a very serious look, and nodding she said, "I will. Thank you for the warning."

Usagi and Sesshoumaru found themselves back in the forest. They were standing in a small glade surrounded by trees. The sun was setting, signaling the end of the day. "Let's rest here," Sesshoumaru said. His tone was curt, like the words were cut out of paper instead.

Giving him a startled look, Usagi said, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," was the only thing he said and yet again, his voiced seemed to be cut with sharp corners instead of natural inflection that curves most voices. Usagi gave him a worried glance, but didn't say anything more. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her, and, if that's not the case, she would never find out. That is just the way his character is.

It took only a few minutes to set up the camp, and, sooner than she expected, the fire was going and she was wrapping herself up in her sleeping bag. Dinner had been a simple affair, just some roots picked from the nearby brush, and some bread that Usagi had brought from the castle.

"Good night, Sesshoumaru," Usagi said as she covered up tighter to protect herself from the wind that was beginning to pick up. He didn't acknowledge her statement, or even let on that he heard her, but he had. Resignation covered her features, and she held back the tears that threatened to fall. "I'm sorry," she breathed it so quietly that he didn't hear her this time.

The moon was high in the sky before Usagi was finally able to go to sleep. Holding back tears every time that she thought about the occurrences of the morning kept her wide awake deep into the night. Once she did fall asleep, though, her dreams were no respite. Plagued by the images of Nehelenia killing and destroying everything around her had become worse. This nightly regime of torture was becoming too much. If it didn't stop soon, she didn't know what she would do.

'Shall I say farewell for now or shall I tell you now fare you well 'til we meet again?'

I'm sorry that this chapter is so short and took so long to get out, but things have been very crazy over the holidays, and this chapter was very hard, however, the next ones will hopefully not be so hard.


	9. Chapter 9

Usagi blinked

:bows repeatedly: I am so sorry that this has taken so long to get out. My computer has been on the fritz, but it has been repaired (and not cheaply I might add). Hopefully, I will be able to become a little more consistent in my updates. However, as an apology, I've spent all weekend putting this chapter together, and I'm posting it immediately so that you guys can read it. Please, don't forget to review. I love you guys so much, your reviews are always so encouraging.

I would like to thank LunarStar Princess Krystal, Ayjah, Moon Bunny777, mystic soldier, Usagi Uchiha Yuy Kudo, and Azera-v for your reviews, and a special thanks to those who have added me to their alerts and favs and C2 communities, I love you all (and I will thank you all properly in my final chapter which may or may not be anytime soon).

As always, I do not own either Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, as much as I would love to own Sesshoumaru, I cannot take the credit for him. :pouts:

Usagi blinked. Looking around her, she saw that she was standing in what appeared to be a study of some sort. Completely unsure of how she ended up here, she decided that the most logical course of action was to determine her whereabouts. The room itself was comfortable done in gold, dark red, and various colors of brown. Bookshelves lined the walls filled with volumes that appeared to be older than she was (and that was saying something considering her years spent working with Destiny). There was a large brown desk sitting in the middle of the room with a rich red chair behind it. A stack of clean white paper sat to the right just behind a bottle of ink and the fanciest set of quills she had ever seen.

To her right, Usagi saw that the only way to enter or leave the room was through a window, and since she definitely didn't remember climbing through a window, confusion as to how she had ended up in her current location still plagued her brain. Deciding the only way to figure out where she was would be to take a look out the window, so she took a few steps and placed her hands on the sill. As soon as the view registered in her sleep fogged mind, a small gasp escaped her lips. Outside, she saw the campsite where she had fallen asleep the previous night; Sesshoumaru was still in his same position. The campfire, her bedroll, her pack, everything, was still in the same place as it had been. Nothing moved, it seemed as if even time had stopped in her absence.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi placed her hands on the latch that held the window shut. Pulling up, Usagi wasn't completely surprised that it didn't even budge. Not a single thing moved; it was as if she hadn't even touched it, much less pulled at it with all of her strength. After trying for a few more minutes, Usagi finally gave up and decided to figure out what this room was.

Turning around to take in the rest of her surroundings; Usagi noted that there were shelves surrounding the entire room. Facing the desk stood a low shelf with two odd items sitting on the top of it. One was a golden globe that portrayed the world as round instead the assumed shape of flat. The globe, instead of using the blues and greens that normally colored maps, the globe was made up of various shades of gold. Also, it was suspended on a golden stand that came up and surrounded it with two golden strips of metal. Each metal length moved separately from the other.

After thoroughly studying the globe, Usagi moved her attention to the other item on the shelf. It was a large hourglass that appeared to have already finished it's time-telling requirement, or more specifically all of the sand was sitting in the bottom of the hourglass. It was very large, and in top form from everything she could tell. The top and the bottom appeared to be made of solid gold. After looking more closely at the glass itself, she realized that it was made of something other than glass. It shone with so many colors that at first she wasn't sure what it could be. Then, it dawned on her, the hourglass was made of gold and diamond, and instead of using sand to tell time, it was gold dust that sat at the bottom of the ancient time-telling device.

So absorbed in her curious observations of the odd items on the shelf, Usagi didn't notice that she was no longer alone in the room. Sitting behind the desk in the previously unoccupied red chair, sat a short man with black hair that fell just above his shoulder. His chin rested on his hand which supported itself on the front of the desk. In front of him sat one of the clear pieces of paper, and in his free hand he held a quill the flowed over the paper. A small, knowing smile graced his somewhat handsome features as he watched the girl before him. As his hand smoothly covered across the paper; it appeared as if the pen scratches were going to come to life. Quickly, and efficiently, he put the finishing touches onto his ink painting. It depicted her look of wonder and awe at the marvelous sights she had never seen before with so much accuracy that it appeared to be the real thing instead of the just a drawing.

However, after finishing his drawing, he placed it on the top of the stack of clean white paper and turned to watch the young girl whose eyes had been so full of fascination that he hadn't been able to resist taking down her likeness. She was still looking carefully into the time-telling device, and suddenly he realized who she was and how she had managed to stumble into his small study. Frowning slightly, he realized that he needed to stop her before things got too far out of hand.

"My dear," he whispered very quietly, but in the silence of the room, it seemed that he had shouted it.

The young girl jumped and turned to find the person who was in the room with her. Seeing the man occupying the previously empty chair, Usagi stared at him for a moment. The only though that was currently able to float through her shocked brain was the wondering notion of how he had gotten in there when there appeared to be no way in or out. But, some part of her brain reasoned, he had probably gotten in the same way that she had, even if Usagi was uncertain how she had managed it.

"Who are you?" she asked, although, on some level, she feared that she already knew the answer to that.

"I am Aviyo," he said, as if that answered all of her questions. Seeing the look of confusion on her face, he decided, with a small chuckle, that she would need a bit more of an explanation. "I am the second guardian of Elysian. I have been placed here to watch for the one who would enter the garden and allow me to finish my duty."

His words confirmed her suspicions, but she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. Finally, she said the only thing that she could think of, "I am Princess Serenity, the last of the house of the stars, and the only child to Queen Serenity the one that place you here to guard the entrance into the land of dreams. Dire need has brought me here as darkness yet again approaches to destroy all that is lovely in the world."

Aviyo nodded. Expecting nothing less from Destiny's apprentice, the man behind the desk stood to administer the test of identity. It was imperative that she be of Serenity's bloodline, and words could not be considered as proof. "You have done well to make it to the second test. Proving both the strength of your heart and body, you know must prove that you have the right to take hold of the crystal that will determine the fate of this world. The right to hold this crystal only comes with a blood relation to that maiden, Celeste, who created the crystal. Are your prepared?"

Taking a deep breath, Usagi steeled herself and nodded, "I am ready, what do I need to do?"

Grinning to himself, Aviyo walked up to Usagi and, bending down on one knee, took her right hand in his. Usagi stepped back instinctively, but came up short as the back of her leg hit the wall. Aviyo moved as if he hadn't even noticed her not so subtle retreat. Lifting her right hand in his left hand, he lightly rested his lips against her knuckles. A light glow seemed to be emanating from the point in which his mouth touched the soft skin of the back of her hand. Soon, the glow covered her body.

The light glow grew stronger and stronger until it appeared as if she was floating in flames. Shutting her eyes tightly, Usagi lifted her now completely free hands to cover her eyes trying to block out the light that plagued her even as her eyes were closed.

"My sweet Serenity," a voice called out to her in the in the flow of light. "My dear sweet little girl, it seems you're not so little anymore. I wish things had been different, but they can't be changed now."

"Mother," Usagi questioned, trying to open her eyes and still block out the flood of blinding flames that engulfed her. "Where are you?"

"I am here for now," the voice whispered. "But I will be gone soon. For now, I am here to say, I love my sweetest child. No matter what happens, I always will. Destiny has now taken you from Fate's hand, and things are coming to there conclusion. Be happy my darling, and remember to love those around you, even if it hurts."

The light faded, and Usagi realized that it must have been holding her up as she landed on her knees due to weakness. Taking several deep breaths as if she had just had been through the workout of her life even though the only movement she had made in the last ten minutes was the action of falling to her knees.

"Are you all right, princess?" Aviyo said with concern. He was still in the kneeling position, and his eyes portrayed how worried he was. Having never actually administered the test that he had just given her, Aviyo was slightly surprised by the result. The voice of his queen had really been a major shock since she had been dead for so long that her spirit didn't even reside on this plane any longer.

Usagi blinked at him a few times. Her confusion was visible in every line of her face. "What…" she whispered, "What just happened?"

"You have received, and passed, the second test," Aviyo said in a proud voice as he stood and helped her come to her feet. "I am satisfied that you are the last remaining heir to the house of the stars, daughter of the last queen, her majesty, Serenity Cosmos. You are my future queen, and I bow to you, and only you." The end of this was punctuated by him bowing on one knee with his right hand resting on his other knee while his left fist rested on the ground, showing his loyalty and respect.

"Please!" Usagi exclaimed, kneeling down towards the man bowing in front of him, "Don't bow before me! I may have been royalty once, but that was long ago. There is no reason for you to humble yourself before your equal!"

"My dear princess!" Aviyo exclaimed in surprise as he stood up taking Usagi with him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and his deep green eyes flashed with almost a ferocious determination as they clashed with her deep blue eyes, "You are now and always will be the only one that I is worthy of my loyalty! Being here now proves that you are still royalty, and, for your information, not all of us are gone. As long as you have subjects willing to live and die for you, your kingdom is still in existence. I will always be loyal, and so will the other two test administrators! Be warned, my princess, your next task is very hard."

With those words whispered, Aviyo, the room with the globe and hourglass, the walls and the window showing her where she had fallen asleep, it all disappeared. The shock of suddenly standing about ten feet away from the campsite caused her to freeze. Her gasp was audible as she heard Aviyo's last sentence, "Tomorrow will show the gate of Elysian!"

The shock of everything happening so quick, having completely the second trial, and then an entire room disappearing as if it had never been there, caused Usagi to collapse. Then, her mother's voice floated through her brain as she recalled hearing it for the first time in more years than Usagi cared to remember. Nothing was ever going to be easy for her, could it? But what of Mercury's promise? Could there be a possibility that they had been reborn into this time, or at least one of them. It was very unlikely that all of them would live in the same time again.

Usagi couldn't take it much more, the nightmares, the loss, the hopelessness of her situation. Her mother's death and her friends' constant appearances only serving to remind her of what she had lost. A drop of warm water landed on her hand, the shock of the feeling caused Usagi to look down. What she saw was a teardrop sitting on the back of her hand. It was soon followed by many tears as her emotions finally chose to release themselves whether she liked it or not.

Lifting up her hands, Usagi covered her face as the tears refused to stop. A sob escaped her followed shortly by another and then another until her entire body shook with the sorrow of the weight that she carried. At most times, it was like carrying a tree on her back, but now it felt like the entire world had been hoisted onto her shoulders, and it was just too much. She had to let some of it go or she would collapse under the pressure.

Golden eyes watched the girl sob into the grass. They were confused and a little worried as the owner wondered whether or not he should do something or just ignore the person whose sorrow had awoken him. A voice floated through the air, although Sesshoumaru had the sneaky suspicion that he was the only one who could hear it.

"Please," it whispered, "please help my daughter."

That was all that it said. 'Help my daughter,' what kind of request was that. How was he supposed to help someone he didn't even know, and then the realization that this must be the voice of Usagi's mother who was killed so long ago hit him? What did she want him to do? He wasn't really capable of comfort, and although he had been trying, after the previous day, he was afraid that she would flinch rather than except him.

Snarling slightly at his memory of the earlier events, Sesshoumaru wondered why he was still here if he was nothing but a hindrance, but he wasn't sure that he could abandon the rabbit to face her trials on her own, especially with the earth shattering sobs that were escaping her small form at the moment. This thought drew his attention back to her, and he discovered that the sobs still had yet to cease. This seemed unusual, for when Rin cried like this, they would cease fairly quickly to slumber, but Usagi's weren't.

Before he knew what he was doing, Sesshoumaru was standing over her prone figure. His shadow fell across her form, but blocking the moonlight from her tear streaked face did little to draw her attention to him, so he opted for a more direct approach by reaching down and pulling her to her feet as gently as Sesshoumaru was known to do, which means, of course, she was practically yanked up from the weed infested ground. Her shocked sapphire orbs shone in the moonlight with an extra sheen of tears as they met his emotionless amber orbs. Orbs that appeared to be emotionless, but, as Usagi had a knack for seeing that which isn't visible to all, she could easily perceive that there was a hint of something hidden in the back. If she didn't know better, she might think that he was worried, but that was impossible of course.

Unable to resist the idea of a warm, comforting body to cry against rather than the hard, unfeeling ground, Usagi immediately curled into him and began her crying anew, although the sobs were not as hard as they had been. The shock of her movement had his arms around her waist to carry the bulk of her weight before he realized what was happening. The renewal of her tears had been slightly unexpected, but not completely a surprise.

Pulling her feet off of the ground and carrying her back into the camp circle was much easier than he thought it would be. The fact that she didn't even seem to realize what he was doing was an added bonus. He sat down and moved her into a comfortable position on his lap so that her head was resting in the crook of his neck. Her tears flowed down his skin and soaked into his under tunic, yet they did not cease.

"I'm sorry," Usagi whispered, but she made no move to change her position, "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Hush now, cease this nonsense," Sesshoumaru said in his usual monotonous tone of voice. Usagi curled tighter into him, but didn't repeat her apologies for being such a nuisance.

"I can't take this much more," she whispered. Sesshoumaru had the notion that she wasn't talking so much to him as to her own demons of the night. "Please, leave me alone and give me some rest. I can't take this much more."

Sesshoumaru unconsciously rubbed small, comforting circles across her back, hoping against hope that the motion would cause her sorrow to cease. She cried far too much for him to be completely comfortable with the odd feelings that her tears created. This continued long into the early hours of the morning until her tears seemed to lighten up. At more than one time, Sesshoumaru believed that she fell asleep, but this notion was always dispelled by her releasing yet another noise of sorrow. Usagi did not fall asleep, but her tears lightened into nothing but the occasional sniff. The girl in his arms didn't move from the position that he had placed her in.

Releasing a long sigh, Sesshoumaru realized that he was going to have to talk to her to resolve this issue and relieve the tension that had formed in his chest. "What happened to cause me to wake and find you in tears at two in the morning?"

Usagi's body became stiff with the question. How was she supposed to answer that? How was she supposed to make him see that she had lost everything, and now she couldn't find a reason to fight even though she knew she must? How was she supposed to tell him that this battle would most likely claim her life and leave the ones that she had grown so attached too over the past few weeks alone and without her protection? If she told him anything, he would dismiss her as being weak-willed and he would leave her. That, she was sure, she could not bear.

When she didn't respond after stiffening up, Sesshoumaru said, yet again, "Tell me what causes these tears that seem to never cease. If you keep it to yourself, it will never change."

Usagi sniffled yet again, "It's not one thing, but everything. They're gone; she's gone. Everything, my family, my friends, my kingdom, has been taken away from me. How am I supposed to find the will to fight if I have nothing to fight for?"

Sesshoumaru looked startled. That was a good question. Unlike the demons, those of the star kingdom would only fight for a reason. They never killed with indiscriminately or for the love of battle. From all accounts, they loved life and found its value to be higher than anything. "Perhaps," Sesshoumaru started slowly, clearly thinking out his words before he said them, "your reason to fight may be in front of you even now. Do not throw away a life before you even have the chance to live it. This is the one thing that I've learned over the years."

Usagi released a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. He hadn't dropped her on the ground and said anything like, 'ridiculous girl,' or 'baka onna.' With the release of her tension, she realized the position she was in, sitting on his lap in her pajamas while he wore nothing but his under-tunic. Blushing lightly, Usagi moved to get up while saying, "I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama, I really have been an inconvenience." As she finished this statement, however, she realized that she was still unable to rise from her position. "Please," she said, her confusion very evident in her voice, "allow me to get up so that you can go back to sleep."

When Usagi met his eyes, she saw that he hadn't even heard her last phrase. He appeared to be in a world of his own, staring off into space, and then, suddenly, his arms tightened around her waist. "An," he paused, his eyes finally focusing on her, "inconvenience?"

To say that Usagi was startled would have been a bit of a simplification of her emotions, "Well…yeah," she said as she tried to move yet again, still unable to. It seemed as if his arms had become steel bands holding her into her current position. "I have been a bother since we met, appearing so suddenly, and then the attacks that happened only because I was there. Now I am keeping you up all hours of the night with my petty emotions and hurts. I would say that is an inconvenience."

The sky was lighter now, and soon, the sun would show its face over the hills in the distance, but this was not known to the two beings currently sitting against a tree. They were both so absorbed in their own thoughts that nothing would catch their attention with the soul exception of the other person currently sitting there.

Sesshoumaru had to carefully consider his response to her reasons. This was a delicate subject to speak about, and Sesshoumaru was completely certain that had it been anyone else, he would have accused them of being an inconvenience or a bother, but not Usagi. As a matter of course, it appeared that he was more of an inconvenience and a bother to her than she was to him. He had insisted on her traveling with him, he had followed her when she had very specifically not wanted him too, and this choice had caused him to be used against her. For that, he would never forgive himself, but he would not abandon her when she seemed so weak and frail in the early hours of the day.

"Usagi…" before he could say another word, however, there was a blinding flash of light. Usagi and Sesshoumaru were both on their feet before the flash had receded enough for either to make out the face of the other. Once the flash had gone, Usagi saw that everything she looked at appeared to be made of gold and rainbow reflecting glass.

"Where are we?" Usagi asked, never once letting her guard down.

"You," a voice said from nowhere and everywhere at once, "are in my world, the place of the final test before Elysian's doors can be opened to you. You have now proven your strength of heart and body, also your identity has been verified. Now, little princess, you must prove that you have the strength of will to survive and the strength of mind to prevail over the evil and darkness that threatens your world."

Straightening up, Usagi said in a loud voice, "I am Princess Serenity, daughter of the last Queen of the Stars; I request entrance into the garden of Elysian. If you require a test, let it be given so that I may continue on my way to save those I love!" All appearance of weakness and sorrow had disappeared from her face and body.

Sesshoumaru watched her stand tall against the unbeatable foe. The voice from earlier said, "Then, it shall begin. Save yourself and your companion from the sands of time, and I will open the gate of Elysian."

Usagi didn't realize what he was talking about, but soon, the world shifted, and what appeared to be a pillar of sand began to fall down directly between where she stood and where Sesshoumaru stood. The sand, however, appeared to be shiny, as if it were polished rocks instead of grains of the sand, and then, upon closer inspection, Usagi realized that it was not sand but gold dust. Then, she remembered the hour glass, so that's where she was.

"Sesshoumaru, are you all right," Usagi said as she tried to get around the ever growing pile of gold dust.

"Yes," he said, helping her keep her footing on the easily sliding dust. "How are we going to get out of this?" The question was voiced before he could control his mouth.

"I'm not sure," Usagi said looking around. "There has to be a way. Hmm…I wonder."

Usagi's face took on a look of curious concentration. She appeared to be thinking very hard about something, but what, Sesshoumaru was unsure. Suddenly, her face brightened, "I know where we are!" her words were punctuated by a timely slip of the feet, and she would have fallen face first, but his reactions were quicker than her clumsiness. He caught her around her waist, and held up.

"Where are we?" He asked her out of curiosity more than anything else.

"We are in an hourglass made of diamond and gold," Usagi said as she regained her footing. "I saw it earlier, but I'm not completely sure how we are going to get out of it."

Sesshoumaru contemplated the situation that he now found himself in. How are supposed to get out of a prison that appeared to be made of a substance harder than steel?

Usagi moved to the edge of their current world, and she observed the odd pattern of veins throughout the wall of diamonds. "I wonder…" With those words, Usagi snapped her fingers and said and moved back. "Step back and give me some space," Usagi said to her companion. It was continually becoming harder to wade through the quickly falling gold dust, but Sesshoumaru managed to move away from her.

Taking a deep breath and preparing for the inevitable, Usagi whispered, "Strong as steel, loud as thunder, colder than ice, depths of fire, your mistress calls you out of need, from the sky, through times past, out of the ocean, as cool as death's touch, come and protect the one who pleads!"

The previously nonexistent wind picked up around her, and suddenly, her eyes turned to steel as she said, "Mercury, Mars, come and answer me! Bring the power of ice and fire to destroy the unbreakable!"

The forms of Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars appeared just behind Usagi, both of their faces showing the same steely determination that was reflected on their princess' face. Each of them raised their hands. Mercury went first as her 'Aqua Rhapsody' shot forth and froze the section of diamond that seemed to have the most veins or bubbles in it. Mars' 'Flame Sniper' followed soon, and a crack appeared as the flames diminished, but it was still solid. So, again, Mercury's attack blazed forth, and they took turns firing at the place until it finally shattered under the constant and extreme change of temperature.

With the breaking of the diamond wall, Mercury and Mars both disappeared from sight. "We are always here!" Mars said just before she faded from sight completely. Usagi smiled and then said, "YES! Ami-chan would be so proud of me!" Turning towards Sesshoumaru, she called out, "Let's go!"

However, before either could move, their surroundings melted into something much more beautiful and pleasant to behold. They were both standing on a paved pathway in the middle of a beautiful garden surrounded by every flower known to them, and many that neither had ever seen before. Behind them, on the pathway, stood the most beautiful and intricate fountain that either had ever seen and before them stood a large staircase, and, at the top of the stairs a building with pillars completely surrounding it.

Descending the stairs slowly walked a young boy wearing robes of white and blue. As he reached the bottom, he looked up at Usagi and Sesshoumaru, "I am so glad to finally see you again, my princess. I bid you welcome, prince of the lands of the west and heir to the house of the moon. I am Helios, guardian of Elysian and current protector of both the golden and silver crystals that reside here."

To be continued…


End file.
